Is foreign language learning mandatory?

KIyer (Australia)

In my country of birth (India), learning a second or third language was the norm. But local languages have died out in importance and English and its speakers have acquired a 'superiority' complex. In my adopted country Australia, a second language is taught in every school with a commitment to keep the primacy of English and at the same time to give everyone an opportunity to expand their personal opportunities in the world, by learning a foreign language. I think Australia has the best approach I have seen or experienced so far.