APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston has been appointed to help shape Australia’s next National Cultural Policy, bringing the voice of songwriters, composers and music creators into the federal government’s cultural planning process.
by Paul Cashmere
The Australian Government has appointed APRA AMCOS Chief Executive Dean Ormston to a key advisory role as it develops the country’s next National Cultural Policy. Ormston will serve as one of nine members of the Policy Advisory Group established to provide expert guidance and industry insight into the future direction of Australia’s cultural framework.
The appointment places the head of one of Australia’s most influential music rights organisations inside the national policy conversation at a critical stage. The advisory group will work alongside newly created Expert Panels tasked with examining major themes across the arts sector, feeding recommendations to the Minister for the Arts as the government prepares the next iteration of the country’s cultural strategy.
The move forms part of a broader initiative by the Australian Government to renew and expand its National Cultural Policy through structured consultation with leading voices from across the arts sector. Five Expert Panels have been established to examine policy areas organised around continuing pillars titled First Nations First, Centrality Of The Artist, A Place For Every Story, Strong Cultural Infrastructure, and Engaging The Audience.
Those panels will examine feedback gathered during public consultations and provide recommendations to the Policy Advisory Group and the federal arts portfolio. The goal is to ensure the next policy reflects the realities of Australia’s contemporary cultural industries while supporting long-term development for artists and creative organisations.
Ormston said the process offers an opportunity to strengthen the position of Australian music and creative industries on the national stage. “Australia has an extraordinary cultural story to tell, and enormous potential still to realise, particularly as a music nation. I look forward to working with the government and my fellow panel members from across the cultural ecosystem to help shape the next national cultural policy that truly unlocks that potential for songwriters, composers and creators, and for generations to come.”
The advisory structure also draws together a wide cross-section of voices from film, television, literature, performing arts and music. Industry figures participating in the process include Bruce Gladwin, Rob Sitch, Gordi (Sophie Payten), Astrid Jorgensen, John Foreman, Sarah Holland-Batt, Deirdre Brennan and Adrian Collette.
The government says the mix of practitioners, executives and cultural leaders will ensure the consultation reflects the diversity of the national arts community.
Minister for the Arts Tony Burke said the appointments represent an important step in building continuity within Australian cultural policy.
“Each member brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will help lay the foundation where for the first time there will have been consecutive national cultural policies.
Welcome to the new members, thank you for playing a role in delivering the next National Cultural Policy for all Australians.”
The initiative follows the government’s earlier release of the National Cultural Policy framework and its commitment to ongoing consultation with the creative industries.
Cultural policy in Australia has historically shifted with political cycles, meaning consecutive long-term frameworks have been rare.
The current process aims to build stability by engaging directly with industry representatives while updating policy priorities to reflect a rapidly evolving creative economy.
APRA AMCOS plays a central role within that ecosystem. The organisation represents more than 120,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers across Australia and New Zealand, collecting and distributing royalties when their music is performed or broadcast. Through licensing agreements with broadcasters, venues and digital platforms, the organisation ensures music creators are paid when their work is used publicly.
Because of that position, Ormston’s involvement in the advisory group brings the interests of the songwriting and composing community directly into policy discussions around funding, infrastructure and audience development.
Special Envoy for the Arts Susan Templeman said the breadth of experience across the panels will help shape a policy that reflects the realities of Australia’s cultural sector. “Our next National Cultural Policy must reflect the diversity and aspirations of the cultural sector itself. These panels bring together an extraordinary group of Australians who have distinguished themselves in their service to our cultural life.
Their involvement and their insight will ensure that the voice of the sector rings clearly through the policy we introduce.”
For music creators, the policy process arrives at a time when the industry continues to navigate structural shifts driven by streaming economics, live performance recovery following the pandemic period, and ongoing debates about how governments support creative work in the digital era.
Ormston’s appointment ensures those conversations include perspectives from the songwriting and publishing sector, an area often central to debates around copyright reform, licensing models and international competitiveness.
The advisory group will now begin its consultation work with the Expert Panels before presenting guidance to government as the next stage of Australia’s National Cultural Policy is developed.
For Australian music creators, the process represents a rare opportunity for direct industry input into the cultural framework that will influence funding priorities, creative infrastructure and audience engagement strategies for years to come.
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