A new 10-year roadmap to enable all young people to actively participate in live music has been launched by youth music organisation The Push.
The Push has a 40-year history of delivering contemporary all-ages music programs across Victoria. In 2023, it expanded nationally to ensure all young Australians – regardless of postcode or privilege – have equal opportunity to connect meaningfully with Australian music.
Calling for stronger national infrastructure, The Push’s A National Plan for Young Australians and Music (2026-2036) sets out a decade-long strategy to reconsider and reposition music in Australia, placing it on par with education, sport and public health.
A delegation of 30 young people travelled to Canberra to launch the report at Parliament House.
10-year music plan – quick links
Fostering community and culture
A National Plan for Young Australians and Music argues that access to music should no longer depend on geography, income or circumstance but should be a universal right. The plan outlines nationally coordinated approach to back music as an essential tool that builds confidence and identity, and fosters community and culture for young people.
The Push CEO Kate Duncan said: ‘For too long, access to music for young Australians has been left to chance – we build consistent national pathways in sport, so let’s back music with the same level of clarity and coordination.’
Marcke De Vera, a former mentee of The Push added: ‘Access to music and awareness of the music industry is often unattainable to young people, especially those not already embedded in creative circles or without personal connections.
‘The Push’s National Plan is a necessity in bridging that gap, by providing young people not just with insight, but with the direction and real-world experience to turn their passion into a career.’
Co-designed by young Australians, as well as artists, educators, industry and government, the National Plan advocates that music be treated as a public necessity – a finding that takes on extra weight following the release this week of new research led by Dr Jason Goopy, Senior Lecturer in Music Education in the School of Education at Edith Cowan University, which found that learning music in community settings can be a powerful lifelong wellbeing strategy.
‘By removing entry barriers and combining music and life learning, all youth can have opportunities to feel good and live well using music,’ Goopy said.
His study, Psychological needs and wellbeing in community music education for young people experiencing challenging life circumstances, is published in the journal Research Studies in Music Education.
The Push’s 10-year plan for young Australians and music
A National Plan for Young Australians and Music is simultaneously a policy roadmap and a cultural argument: that music should be treated as essential infrastructure for young Australians, requiring coordinated national investment and youth-led reform to ensure universal access and opportunity.
Alongside the National Plan, The Push has submitted a $13.4 million budget request to the Federal Government to continue to deliver all-ages live music experiences, school tours and career pathways for over 160,000 young Australians.
The Push’s National Plan sets out a vision in which every young Australian is able to participate in and benefit from music – as a listener, creator or professional. It highlights significant gaps in access, including limited school music education, cost barriers and lack of all-ages venues, particularly in regional and remote areas.
Among its key findings, the report notes that 33% of Australian secondary students do not have access to any school music education, despite 90% of young Australians aged 15 to 24 recognising the positive benefits of arts and creativity in their lives and communities.
Ultimately, the National Plan for Young Australians and Music frames music not as a discretionary cultural activity but as a critical tool for social connection, economic participation and national identity.
The plan sets out four priority pillars: universal access; viable career pathways; stronger visibility of Australian music; and recognition of music’s role in social wellbeing. It calls for systemic reform across government, education and industry, with young people embedded in decision-making.
Minister for the Arts welcomes the National Plan
Minister for the Arts Tony Burke said: ‘The Push’s new National Plan provides a clear message: your age, background, where you live or where you go to school should not dictate your ability to access and participate in music.
‘We must ensure all young Australians can access music programs that create safe and inclusive environments where they can connect and feel a sense of belonging. We know when these spaces are established, we build pathways to future careers in the creative sector and foster a lifelong appreciation for the arts.’
In December, the Federal Government introduced laws around social media reform to help protect young people from online harm; in the process, they removed young peoples’ primary pathways to access music, community and culture.
Research conducted by The Push and YouGov found that 72% of young people believe access to live music is essential for staying connected in a post-social media environment.
Reflecting on the Federal Government’s ‘world-first social media age restrictions’, Burke said: ‘These reforms are vital for the safety of our younger Australians, however, we see an immediate and pressing need to provide them with alternative, real world pathways to discover culture, build community and stay connected.
‘Young people aren’t just seeking entertainment; they’re seeking meaningful social connection and cultural engagement. Music is how they hear themselves reflected and how local stories are created and shared. It builds confidence, belonging and opportunity.
‘This plan is an invitation to work together across government, industry, education and community,’ Burke said.
The Push’s National Plan has been delivered as the Federal Government commences developing its next National Cultural Policy, embarking on a consultation period to identify the structures and settings needed to support and grow Australia’s arts and cultural sector into the future.
ArtsHub: Building a new National Cultural Policy – Burke talks to ArtsHub
Key points of A National Plan for Young Australians and Music
A National Plan for Young Australians and Music lays out a series of points about young people and music Australia-wide, noting the following findings:
1. Unequal access remains a major barrier
- Participation in music is often determined by postcode, school resources and financial means.
- One-third of secondary students lack access to music education, despite overwhelming engagement with music consumption.
- Regional, remote and under-18 audiences face the greatest exclusion from live music and opportunities.
2. Music is widely valued but under-supported
- The vast majority of young Australians engage with music and recognise its social and emotional benefits.
- Participation in events and programs is affected by limited disposable income and structural barriers.
3. Reform should be guided by four strategic pillars
- Access for all: Remove cost, age and geographic barriers through initiatives like all-ages venues, touring circuits and subsidised access.
- Music as a career: Build clearer pathways from education to employment, including training, mentoring and funding.
- Australian music visibility: Increase exposure to local artists across media, venues and platforms.
- Wellbeing and community: Embed music into health, education and community systems as a tool for connection and mental health.
4. Youth-led design is critical
- Young people must be positioned as co-designers, leaders and decision-makers across policy, programs and governance.
- Lived experience is critical to effective system reform.
5. National coordination is required
- Alignment is needed across governments, industry, education and philanthropy.
- Music is ‘cultural infrastructure’, requiring sustained investment and policy integration.
6. First Nations inclusion and equity must be priorities
- First Nations leadership, cultural safety and representation must be a core commitment.
- Equity for underrepresented groups must be foundational, not supplementary.
7. The long-term ambition must be participation without barriers
- The central goal of the National Plan is that ‘every young person can participate and thrive in Australian music’.
- Reform must be a national movement rather than a single program.
