OUR STRATEGY

For 40 years, The Push has backed young Australians to find their sound, their people and their future in music.

We’ve seen firsthand how access to music shapes identity, builds confidence, and strengthens communities. In 2025, The Push asked a simple question across the country: what would it take for every young person to play a role in Australian music? From Busselton to Brisbane, young people, educators, artists, and industry leaders came together. A clear national voice emerged.

Every young person can participate and thrive in Australian music. Our National Plan sets out how we get there over the next ten years.

For decades, The Push has been delivering programs. Now we're working to drive national change and build a music ecosystem designed by young people, for young people. Across the country, young Australians are already creating, leading, and demanding change in Australian music, but their readiness is ahead of the system's ability to support them.

Our plan is a national movement of young people, educators, artists, communities and partners who believe music is essential to Australia's future. We're inviting governments, industry, philanthropy and communities to build it with us.

Pride in Australian music should not be accidental.

Belonging should not depend on geography.

And opportunity should never rely on luck.

Embed First Nations knowledge, perspectives, and leadership in the design, delivery, and evaluation of youth music programs.

1. Increasing First Nations young people’s involvement and representation across programs and governance structures.

2. Integrating cultural safety frameworks across programs, partnerships, and evaluation.

3. Supporting pathways for First Nations young people’s led projects, collaborations, and mentoring.

Engage young people as co-designers and decision-makers to ensure programs reflect their needs, identities, and aspirations.

1. Initiating young leaders’ programs that elevate young people for leadership opportunities.

2. Embedding youth decision-making within governance and advisory structures.

Increase young people’s participation in music by unlocking opportunities, programs and partnerships across Australia, regardless of location.

1. Supporting the establishment of local youth music hubs with councils and community partners.

2. Establishing a national all-ages touring circuit that overcomes geographic barriers to live music access for young people.

3. Expanding access to online tools and resources that make participation possible anywhere.

Remove financial barriers, ensuring that cost never stands in the way of young people accessing music.

1. Positioning a Live Music Pass as a mechanism that increases affordability of all-ages events.

2. Exploring an industry-supported approach (such as a ticketing contribution model) that reinvestsvin young people’s access and inclusion.

Remove age-based barriers so that young people aged under-18 can access music safely and confidently.

1. Delivering local all-ages music initiatives that respond to the unique needs of underage young people.

2. Considering an event age-classification approach that reduces systemic exclusion for under-18 audiences.

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Ensure music education reflects the realities of the music industry, championing a national approach where young people learn the skills to build a sustainable career in music.

1. Working with education systems nationally to support aligned music curriculum reform.

2. Outlining a nationally recognised Music Pathways Map across creative, business and wellbeing capabilities.

3. Broadening access to flexible, non-formal learning such as short courses and masterclasses.

Break down barriers between schools, training providers, and the music industry, establishing clear career pathways for young people.

1. Enabling partnerships that provide meaningful work-integrated learning opportunities for young people.

2. Using the Music Pathways Map to strengthen alignment between schools, RTOs and employers.

Support young people, parents, and educators to understand the full spectrum of music careers showing the diversity of roles and opportunities across the industry.

1. Showcasing diverse career stories through national media, expos and industry-led events.

2. Updating knowledge across the education workforce through contemporary professional learning.

3. Providing accessible resources that outline the breadth of music career pathways.

Expand access to funding and support so young artists and industry workers can build lasting, sustainable careers in music.

1. Strengthening advocacy for youth-focused funding and commissioning opportunities.

2. Embedding financial capability and professional skills across all career programs.

3. Supporting young people to access targeted grants that enable early-career creative development.

Invest in young audiences by supporting new music, new ideas, and projects that connect young people with Australian music.

1. Establishing a future music endowment fund to enable projects, tours and festivals that grow young audiences.

2. Supporting youth street teams and local ambassadors to strengthen community engagement with Australian music.

Ensure young audiences can discover, share, and celebrate Australian music across platforms and media.

1. Partnering with broadcasters and digital platforms to support visibility, discovery and promotion of Australian artists.

2. Using research on young audience behaviour to shape future audience engagement strategies.

Support the music sector to deliver viable all-ages events through addressing the barriers that exist for music venues, festivals, artists and promoters.

1. Supporting access to all-ages grants for music venues, festivals, artists and promoters.

2. Considering compliance and licensing settings that make all-ages, alcohol-free events possible in existing venues.

3. Providing a toolkit and training that builds confidence for councils, venues and promoters.

Design for the next decade of audience participation and performance.

1. Exploring new venue models, formats and technologies that reflect evolving young audiences.

2. Sharing youth insights nationally to guide long-term policy, industry planning and investment.

Shape a national whole of government approach recognising music as essential to young people’s wellbeing and social cohesion.

1. Establishing a National Youth Music Taskforce with representatives from music, youth, health, social cohesion and education sectors to develop a shared agenda.

2. Advocating for music to be embedded across public health, youth and social cohesion frameworks.

3. Co-designing shared wellbeing indicators with national arts, health and education agencies.

4. Sharing evidence and insights through a coordinated national research series.

Put young people’s wellbeing at the heart of Australia’s music ecosystem, ensuring music is recognised and used as a powerful tool for connection and inclusion.

1. Developing a National Health and Wellbeing Framework for music aligned with youth mental health priorities.

2. Partnering with researchers to deepen evidence on music participation and wellbeing.

3. Advancing environmental sustainability across the music sector as a contributor to health, wellbeing and inclusion.

Grow place-based music programs that build confidence, friendship, and belonging, making participation simple and social for every young person.

1. Working with local governments and community organisations to integrate music participation into health, wellbeing and community planning.

2. Establishing best practice approaches to youth music engagement.

3. Partnering with sport, recreation and library networks to embed music as part of everyday community life.