Federal Election 2016 - what you can do

Engaging Federal election candidates in conversations around the national need for universal provision of music education is opportune for everyone in our community at this time. sMAG Vic has written to all the Labor candidates, and has a view to writing to Liberal, National and Greens candidates over the coming weeks.  However, the more folks in the community that raise the matter now, the better our prospective outcomes may be - it really is a numbers game.
Federal scope includes; the national data - NSRME, the Australian Curriculum - Wiltshire/Donnelly, and pre service training - TEMAG. You can outline how the data (NSRME) shows a severe lack of provision and we call for universal provision delivered by a specialist, how Wiltshire/Donnelly recommended music be delivered as a stand alone subject in the Australian Curriculum (not 1 of 5 in The Arts), and that Recommendation 18 of the TEMAG report be extended to support specialisation in Music for pre service teacher training in tertiary institutions, if the subject is going to be delivered with any efficacy. 
Further, it is recommended that Federal education policy include; 1. collection of national data to track provision, and success into the future and 2. cooperation with State counterparts in policy development and at COAG.
It is up to all of us to raise our voices collectively now, as the politicians are keen during an election campaign, to hear what voters want.
Shake the hand of your local candidates and engage in a conversation. 
Write a letter to your local candidates, and here are all the references for you! 
To find the addresses and email listings for each candidate, visit http://insight.racv.com.au/election/contact-federal-election-candidates/ and scroll down to the hyperlinks for Liberal, Labor etc. to take you to the party pages.
1. Robin Pascoe, et al., National Review of School Music Education: Augmenting the Diminished. Canberra: Department of Education, Science and Training, 2005. http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/…/music_review_rep…
2. See Ian Harvey, Making the Progression: Report of the National Music Workshop, 27-28 August, 2006. Melbourne: Australian Music Association, 2006.
3. Victorian Inquiry Into The Extent, Benefits and Potential of Music Education 2013. http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/…/Music_Education_Final_04….
4. Australian Government, Review of the Australian Curriculum Final Report. Wiltshire/Donnelly 2014 https://docs.education.gov.au/…/review_of_the_national_curr…
5. Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG) provided a report “Action Now: Classroom Ready Teachers Report”https://docs.education.gov.au/node/36783