Submissions

Arts education is not an optional enrichment activity for young people. It is the system through which participation begins, capability is developed, and pathways into further study, careers and lifelong engagement in the Arts are established. Strengthening arts education is therefore essential to realising the ambitions of the National Cultural Policy.

This 2023 submission looks at the huge cutbacks to arts programs in schools, and at universities and other training providers. This reduction in programs or offerings within education programs impacts on quality applicants being able to undertake Initial Teacher Education (ITE) studies in the arts.

NAAE has made a submission to the Inquiry into the Higher Education Support Amendment (Reverse Job-Ready Graduates Fee Hikes and End 50k Arts Degrees) Bill 2025, an extremely concerning issue for people studying for Arts degrees in Australia.

NAAE continues to advocate for the alarming decline in tertiary creative arts courses, and for arts curriculum revision in some State education departments.

Organisations and individuals have been invited to comment on these five pillars of a new National Cultural Policy: First Nations, A Place for Every Story, the Centrality of the Artist, Strong Institutions and Reaching the Audience.

NAAE’s submission to the Quality Initial Teacher Education Review is informed by our members’ experiences and research as teachers, pre-service teacher educators working in universities, and as arts education stakeholders. … NAAE believes a key factor in achieving educational success for all Australian students is the provision of quality learning experiences in The Arts at primary and secondary school.

This submission focuses on The Arts and provides general feedback about the proposed Australian Curriculum: The Arts. We note that most of our member national associations, and many state/territory associations have provided detailed responses.

Two prominent arts education researchers, Dr John Nicholas Saunders and Dr Linda Lorenza, have recently published papers highlighting the power of arts learning and the importance of principals’ own view of the arts.

Supporting professional creative arts training translates to an investment in a robust creative industry which makes a vital contribution to both Australia’s economy and to community social well-being as evidenced most recently during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) opposes the Federal Government’s proposed university fees reforms and calls for an equitable tertiary education system that does not target creative arts degrees with increased fees on the basis that this area of study does not lead to employment.