Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak about Musicoz, which is a valuable program based in the Illawarra region for new and emerging musical talent. I hope to be able to attend the national Musicoz Awards at the end of this year in Wollongong, which no doubt will showcase a wide range of young musical talent from across Australia. Musicoz is a non-profit organisation dedicated to developing the music industry. The Musicoz Awards are a major incentive to inspire the development of Australian original music and in turn generate employment opportunities and form valuable partnerships and networks.

Musicoz is open to all songwriters, bands, singers and musicians and is dedicated to promoting independent Australian artists. It is an initiative of Wollongong City Employment Training, having been established as a Work for the Dole project in 2001. Indeed, Musicoz is a great example of the success of Work for the Dole projects. Its primary aim is to create opportunities for new and emerging artists in the Australian music industry. Musicoz also provides valuable work experience for people who are undertaking training in the industry or who are unemployed.

Musicoz is dedicated to developing the music industry at the grassroots level by identifying, recognising and encouraging the talents of unsigned and independent artists and by providing them with opportunities as they establish their careers. Musicoz creates opportunities for unsigned bands and musicians by offering services such as helping artists get a gig, providing recording advice, helping artists find management, and promotion.

The Musicoz program covers a number of commendable initiatives. The annual national Musicoz Awards are probably the most well known initiative of the Musicoz organisation. These awards cover 18 genres of music, with 1,432 artists having submitted over 5,000 songs. Previous winners of Musicoz awards include Blue King Brown, who later reached No. 1 on the indie charts, and Bliss N Eso, who later reached No. 6 on the ARIA urban charts. Local Knowledge, Sunpilots and Steve Romig are also previous winners of Musicoz awards that have gone on to be recognised at higher levels.

I recently wrote to all my federal colleagues, both members of parliament and senators, urging them to encourage local talent from their electorates to send in their entries for Australia’s biggest awards for unsigned artists. In the information that I forwarded to my colleagues, I provided detailed information about the Musicoz Awards, including the very impressive booklet for last year’s awards. Last year’s entries for the awards came from all over Australia, showcasing some of the nation’s best upcoming musical talent. Entries were received from places such as Rockhampton in Queensland, Joondalup in Western Australia, Nairne in South Australia and Lindisfarne in Tasmania, just to give a few examples of the extent of support that the Musicoz Awards enjoy. I hope that interest this year will be even greater.

The Musicoz Awards recognise the significant effort that artists put in and the contribution that they make to the Australian music industry. Each year, over $100,000 in cash and prizes is given as part of the awards. More importantly, opportunities with professionals are available through the exposure via Musicoz which new and emerging artists might not otherwise receive. Through Musicoz, young unsigned artists are given the opportunity to be seen and heard by the heavyweights of the music industry. Senior managers from Sony, Mushroom Records and MGM Distribution were all part of the judging panel for the 2005 awards, giving them a first-hand view of some of the new talent being developed in the Australian music industry. Artists such as Lee Kernaghan, Deni Hines, Sarah McLeod from the Superjesus and former Bardot member Tiffani Wood have all expressed support for Musicoz and the valuable opportunities it creates for young artists.

At the local level in the Illawarra, Musicoz provides a wide range of benefits and opportunities, including valuable work experience for students at Wollongong City Employment Training and the local TAFE campus, as well as opportunities for the unemployed through Work for the Dole. The annual Musicoz Awards also create significant economic and tourist benefits in the Illawarra region. The success that Musicoz currently enjoys can be attributed to the wide-ranging benefits of the Work for the Dole program.

The Australian government is committed to helping unemployed Australians find a job and to step away from welfare dependency and into a better life. A post-program monitoring survey of job seekers conducted earlier this year by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations found that 42 per cent of respondents who participated in Work for the Dole last year were employed or in education or training three months after leaving the program. Furthermore, after participating in Work for the Dole, 75 per cent of job seekers said that participating had improved their self-esteem, 85 per cent said it improved their desire to find work and over 90 per cent said they had increased the number of jobs they had been applying for.

Work for the Dole is working and is a valuable weapon in the Howard government’s extensive approach to tackling long-term unemployment. The success of Work for the Dole is evident when looking at the achievements of an initiative like Musicoz, but it is more importantly reflected in the record low levels of unemployment and the significant falls in long-term unemployment. Job seekers are recognising the valuable role that work experience plays in finding a job. I find it encouraging to see an increasing number of job seekers who have volunteered to participate in Work for the Dole.

In 2005 over 4,400 activities provided nearly 50,000 opportunities for job seekers across Australia to obtain quality work experience while providing services and facilities to their communities. Work for the Dole enables community organisations to bring forward project ideas to be undertaken by Work for the Dole teams. This program not only brings individuals back into the workforce but also helps strengthen our local communities—just as the success of Musicoz has benefited the Illawarra region. I would encourage the Australian Labor Party, the Democrats and the Greens to recognise the success of Work for the Dole and the benefits it provides in helping the unemployed gain the confidence to get back into the workforce.

In closing, I would like to congratulate Musicoz for their success in assisting young Australian musical talent. This has indeed been a very successful Work for the Dole project. It has been innovative and it has certainly helped many young people in their quest and desire to be part of an increasing music industry in Australia. I wish the team every success in preparing for the 2006 awards.