The decision by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) to develop language-specific curricula marks an important shift for the teaching and learning of languages in Australia. This decision brings with it a number of important considerations in developing language-specific curricula. It is necessary, for example, to consider what a language-specific curriculum means and how this relates to the overarching curriculum design. Decisions need to be made about the scope and sequence of content and how best to convey the distinctiveness of a particular language and culture while also attending to aspects which are important and "generic" to all languages. Distinctiveness not only resides in the nature of the language and culture itself but also in the context in which it resides for the purpose of teaching and learning. Understanding the learner group(s), the linguistic and cultural systems, and the place of the language and culture in Australian education are significant factors in shaping the content of a language-specific curriculum. This article explores some of the considerations in developing language-specific curricula, through the example of the draft Indonesian curriculum. It provides insights into the decision making behind the curriculum "artefact" and the complexities involved in attempting to render the distinctiveness of a curriculum for the teaching and learning of Indonesian in Australian schools.