Western Australian Music Under Threat

Music, it enriches our lives. It gives us a medium of expression that cannot be imitated by other methods. It combines in unison with the many arts that, together, define not just Australia’s culture, but the collective imaginations of the world.

We, as the people, understand this. We know that the arts, regardless of what form they take, are essential. We all possess a love of art’s creations, whether it be through music, painting, cinema, or any of its other countless forms.

Unfortunately, the Australian people’s representatives in government seem to think otherwise. Almost every year without fail, the arts have taken a hit to their funding, a blow that you, your children, and your children’s children will feel in the years to come.

Personally, I worry about the future. What sort of legacy are we attempting to leave behind? Music, as well as every other expression of art, has been a staple of Australian culture for the entire length of this fair nation’s existence. What will be left for future generations if our representatives in government continue to stifle and destroy all of the things that have brought us wonder and joy? With a recent $64 Million cut to education being announced, along with savage cuts to the funding of arts organisations throughout Western Australia, the situation looks grim.

Imagine a world without music, a world without the arts. Imagine a world where every house is the same colour, and the only sounds that fill the air are that of heavy industry. Imagine a world where there is neither anything beautiful to look at, nor marvellous to hear. Frighteningly, such a world seems to be taking shape in Australia, especially in our own Western State.

Think about this. Have the arts not made your life fantastic in one way or another? Have they not given you moments that you will forever cherish? If you look deep, I think you’ll find they certainly have.

Now ask yourself, would you be happy to watch it all slip away, forever? I’m confident you wouldn’t. And, though it may be somewhat of an exaggeration of our current conditions, it is precisely what looms on the horizon should these disturbing trends in government budgeting continue. Hopefully, combined with our love of the arts, we can somehow make a genuine difference.