NAAE calls for urgent action! When arts education declines, students lose more than the arts.
Based on recent research, the National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) calls for urgent federal action. You can help alert your local member to this new evidence about the serious decline in arts education at all levels. In the meantime, NAAE has written to relevant Federal Ministers.
Through its leadership in initiating research and sustained national advocacy, NAAE has worked for many years to document, highlight and respond to the ongoing decline in arts education provision. Most recently, NAAE has tracked and published national data identifying tertiary creative arts and arts education courses that have been discontinued or reduced.
NAAE has long advocated for equitable access to arts learning, including its successful national campaign in 2008 to ensure The Arts were included in the Australian Curriculum, establishing an entitlement to arts education for all young Australians. This entitlement is now being progressively eroded.
Arts education matters. The time to act is now.
Write today.
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Help protect the future of arts education in Australia.
Research shows the Arts improve engagement, attendance, wellbeing and academic outcomes. Yet across Australia, access to Arts education is shrinking at both school and university levels.
Recent national data published in the Australian Journal of Education and shared in the media reveals sustained and alarming declines in enrolments in senior secondary Arts subjects across the country.
At the same time, universities are reporting falling participation in creative arts degrees and the closure of numerous creative arts programs. Together, these trends weaken Australia’s education pipeline and reduce opportunities for young Australians to experience a rich, creative, expressive and humanising education.
Arts education is far more than preparation for a creative workforce.
Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music and Visual Arts play a vital role in young people’s development and education. Research (see NAAE’s evidence page) consistently demonstrates that arts learning strengthens school engagement, improves attendance, increases motivation, builds social connection, and supports wellbeing.
The Arts nurture creativity, empathy, identity, cultural understanding, and expression. They bring meaning, connection, and humanity into education and into life.
We encourage educators, students, parents, artists and community members to write to their local Federal Member of Parliament, the Hon. Jason Clare MP (Minister for Education), the Hon. Tony Burke MP (Minister for the Arts), and Ms Susan Templeman MP (Special Envoy for the Arts), calling for:
A national parliamentary inquiry into arts education and training in Australia
Urgent action to address declining school and tertiary creative arts participation
The urgent repeal of the Job-ready Graduates (JRG) scheme
Parity of recognition and investment for Arts education alongside STEM, across schools, universities and Initial Teacher Education
A coordinated national plan to secure the future of arts education.
Collective advocacy can shape policy. Your voice matters.
Take action
1. Sign NAAE’s online change.org petition now.
3. Write to:
Your local Federal MP
The Hon. Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education: minister.clare@education.gov.au
The Hon. Tony Burke MP, Minister for the Arts: Tony.Burke.MP@aph.gov.au
Ms Susan Templeman MP, Special Envoy for the Arts: Susan.Templeman.MP@aph.gov.au
4. Use the guide below to help you write your message. Personalised letters are the most powerful. Even a short email makes a difference.
Mini Template Letter (Please adapt)
Dear [MP Name], Minister Clare, Minister Burke and Ms Templeman,
I am writing to express my concern about the documented decline in arts education across Australia. Recent national data shows falling enrolments in senior secondary Arts subjects, declining participation in creative arts degrees and the closure of university creative arts programs. These trends threaten equitable access to arts education and diminish the richness of learning experiences available to young Australians.
Arts education is not only about preparing students for creative careers. The Arts play a fundamental role in supporting school student engagement, attendance, motivation, wellbeing, social connection, and academic achievement. They foster creativity, empathy, cultural understanding, and human connection, and are essential to a balanced, meaningful and humanising education.
I support the call from National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) for a national parliamentary inquiry into arts education and training in Australia, and I urge the Australian Government to take immediate steps to address this issue.
In particular, I call for the urgent repeal of the Job-ready Graduates (JRG) scheme, and for parity of recognition and investment in Arts education alongside STEM across schools, universities, and Initial Teacher Education.
Strong national leadership is needed to ensure arts education remains accessible, valued, and sustainable for future generations.
[Include a brief note about why arts education matters to you or your experience in your context.]
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Yours sincerely,
Name
[suburb/electorate]
Why Your Personal Voice Matters
Personal stories are powerful and help decision-makers understand real-world impact.
You might include:
Your role (educator, student, parent, artist, community member, industry professional)
How arts education has shaped your learning, career, wellbeing, or community
What you are seeing change (declining enrolments, reduced opportunities, course closures, student impact)
Why this issue matters for Australia’s future
Even a few sentences of personal reflection can significantly strengthen your message.