You need to set Windows Regional Options setting to English Australia
From the Languages tab > Details on the same dialog
You should have English Australia as the input language with the keyboard
setting matching the pattern of your keyboard.
If you don't have that then add it.
Remove any other keyboards and input languages and OK out of the dialog.
Reboot to remove the English US if present.
Re-check the dialog. Does it now only show English - Australia?
Note that every character of a document has a language formatting parameter.
If you paste material from the web, it will almost certainly be formatted as
English US.
If the language settings in Word are not holding, close Word and delete or
rename the data key in the registry
http://www.gmayor.com/what_to_do_when_word_crashes.htm then
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/AppErrors/...artingWord.htm.
--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>


David wrote:
> I am using Word 2007/ XP Pro and have tried all suggestions but still
> cannot get the spellchecher to default to Australian English.
> (Windows language setting set to Australian, Office language setting
> set to Australian, Auto detect turned off, Word language defaulted to
> Australian - saved to normal.dot.). What have I not done? Surely it
> is a bug in Word 2007? (Does microsoft want to standardise the world
> to US spelling?)
>
>
> "Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:
>
>> See http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister/LangFmt.htm and
>> http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/MasterSpellCheck.htm
>>
>> --
>> Suzanne S. Barnhill
>> Microsoft MVP (Word)
>> Words into Type
>> Fairhope, Alabama USA
>>
>> "Karenish" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:2E9AE063-199F-4D44-8E2D-(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> I am with Rigadon, I am using my new word programme and am currently
>>> writing
>>> a 4000 word assignment in English (UK) I have tried to remove
>>> English (US)
>>> by deleting on the correct page. But close the page and re open it
>>> and bingo
>>> there is US again.
>>> I can change to UK when I am on the current page, but as soon as I
>>> scroll to
>>> another page, or start a new one it defaults back to English (US) -
>>> I have nothing against americans (grin), but we dont spell
>>> specialise with a "z" so
>>> the darn document is correcting my spelling to US each time and its
>>> driving
>>> me nuts. Have tried all of your suggestions and think it must be a
>>> blip in
>>> the system.
>>>
>>> "David Stephensen" wrote:
>>>
>>>> I followed all of the instructions on the suggested page, including
>>>> removing
>>>> US English as a possible language in the Office 2003 Language
>>>> Settings.
>>>>
>>>> I edited my normal.dot and set all styles to English Australia. I
>>>> set the
>>>> default language in normal.dot to English Australia.
>>>>
>>>> Even after all this, when I start a new document it says US
>>>> English.
>>>>
>>>> My workaround for each time you start a new document (which does
>>>> not make me
>>>> admire Word very much): Do all of the above for your language,
>>>> then start the
>>>> new doc, type one character, ctrl+a (select all), ctrl+space
>>>> (remove all character formats), ctrl+q (remove all paragraph
>>>> formats), then release your
>>>> selection. Now the doc is in the right language, as long as you
>>>> never delete
>>>> everything. If you delete everything it reverts to US English.
>>>>
>>>> If you create a doc template with existing text, use the above
>>>> method, but
>>>> make sure the last paragraph of the doc template is not blank.
>>>> The last paragraph in a dot will always revert to US English if it
>>>> is blank.
>>>>
>>>> Please try this and let me know how you go.
>>>>
>>>> David

[kaspencer]

A message to the MVPs who have attempted to anwer this question:

I think that this issue would be largely solved if Microsoft released proper fully Anglicised versions of all products including Windows. The fact is that even if one sets one's locale to United Kingdom the user interface in Windows (and all other Microsoft products) remains English (US). In my case I have only one enabled language, which is English (UK).

The Welsh were lucky - they got their own language version of Windows some time ago. Yet countless children all over the UK, Australia, New Zealand and a dozen other places are having their understanding of their native language corrupted by Microsoft (and for Microsoft one might read "USA") arrogance and failure to understand their latter-day USA-centric attitudes.

Extra-territoriality, it appears, appliesd to USA language as well as technology.

And while I am in complaining mode, how about improving the English Lexicon in Microsft products. It seems to have the vocabulary of a five year old! And let's have a complete redesign of all those dialogues in Microsoft applications (and in the OS too) that have wasted space, too short text boxes, too long text boxes, too many hastily added-on levels, etc etc etc.

[mancred]

there is no such language as 'english' usa! and the quicker its put right the better..i have been left sometimes having every language there is but no 'english' only with usa added and its getting beyond belief..i would love to know how i could get this put right, i dont want to live in england and have my language full of 'eye-rak, tomaytoes, and calling antony anth-oneee!