Australian languages are well-known for using complex morphology to encode syntactic relations. Work on these languages has contributed significantly to our understanding of the relationship between morphology and syntax, and the ways in which languages can distribute meaning and function across these two grammatical domains. A big question for our field is what difference these structural choices make for the broader linguistic system. In this paper I draw together research from multiple perspectives, including language acquisition and linguistic processing, to address this bigger question and argue that taking such a multifaceted approach is crucial for our understanding of linguistic diversity and the nature of language.