Australian Music Association has been a key participant in the representation of issues concerning government and policy, and active in representing its members where effective government relations are required.
The AMA works with Australian and international partners across our industry, retail and small business, and other areas of interest.
Issues
The AMA is currently interested in, monitoring, and/or actively advocating on the following issues:
- Music education in schools
- Cultural policy
- Tariffs on music products
- MIgration Strategy and Skills Priority List
- Issues affecting manufacturers of music products
- Wood issues, including
- CITES proposals affecting musical instruments
- Other regulations relating to wood used in manufacturing musical instruments (eg. Illegal Logging Act)
- Implementing Musical Instrument Certificates in Australia, as part of the Nature Positive Plan
- Responsible harvesting of native timber for use in music instruments
- ACCC and consumer law (eg. Button batteries, Sustainability Claims, Consumer Guarantee)
- Spectrum, used for wireless audio devices (including World Radiocommunications Conference, ACMA and the Five Year Spectrum Outlook)
- Training packages, workforce capability and skills issues, including
- Maintaining (and developing) training packages for Instrument Making and Repair, and Piano Technology
- Establishing a Cert IV Piano Technology course in Australia
- Statistics, including
- ABS review of ANZSIC codes
- Skills Priority List / ANZSCO codes
- HSITC codes relating to music products
- International developments relating to music products
Many issues relating to small business in general, business in general, industrial relations and other major policy issues, and retail specifically, are addressed by COSBOA (AMA is a member) and the National Retail Association (AMA has a partnership arrangement).
Selected Activity & Achievements
- Advocating for responsible and very small scale harvesting of native timber, for use in musical instruments
- Advocating consistently for Australia to introduce Musical Instrument Certificates, which is part of the Nature Positive Plan.
- Successfully advocating, with the Fair Imports Alliance, to extend GST to low value imported goods
- Working with international partners on a response to CITES proposals, including a proposal on Pernambuco / Brazil wood in 2022 which was eventually changed.
- Playing a key role in the development of the National Review of School Music Education
- Founding partner in the Music: Play For Life campaign, with the Music Council of Australia and Australian Society for Music Education. This included Music Count Us In and the program received an International Music Council Five Music Rights award in 2011
- Advocated for a Certificate IV in Piano Technology
- Successfully leading an industry lobby for the reinstatement of Cert III & IV qualifications in Musical Instrument Making and Repair.
