Rod Kemp (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a very important issue. I do not say that I have got an extensive fan club like yours, Senator Webber, but thank you for the interjection. Workshops have been held, government bureaucracies have been engaged and some useful initiatives have been announced. At the conclusion of the Victorian workshop earlier this year, an action group was formed to promote the recommendations of the national review and the Victorian workshop. Among other things, the Victorians point to—to summarise some of their concerns—the poor state of music education in schools, in particular in primary schools; the need for specialist music teachers and adequately trained generalist teachers; the need for all students to have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument; and, finally, the need for accountability structures to be put in place.

I am delighted that the Commonwealth government Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop, has announced in recent times important initiatives stemming from the review. I am very pleased to hear reports that Commonwealth funding is helping schools to improve their level of resources.