Jimmy Barnes is among more than 40 music icons supporting an open letter to the embattled Australian National University (ANU) calling for the School of Music to be saved. In July, the ANU announced proposed cuts to dismantle the 60-year-old institution, absorbing it into the School of Creative and Cultural Practice. The proposed changes include axing one-on-one instrumental lessons, as part of ANU’s major restructuring aiming to save $250 million.
The announcement comes as members of the newly formed School of Music Advocacy Roundtable, with the support of over 40 industry professionals, penned an open letter to ANU chancellor Julie Bishop on September 17. The letter urges the university to reverse its decision, highlighting potential damage to Australia’s cultural fabric.
“The removal of one-on-one tuition and a shift away from professional standards will dismantle Canberra’s music pipeline, undermine national arts leadership, and damage Australia’s cultural fabric. The decision has serious social and economic implications. For students and early-career musicians, the loss of one-on-one training and clear pathways to professional work is devastating.”
Jimmy Barnes Joins the Chorus
Barnes supported the letter, emphasizing the School of Music’s role as a pipeline for world-class musicians. “I’ve seen how classical training and rock and roll can come together to create magic but that doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because we invest in serious music education,” he said. Barnes argued that music is an ecosystem supporting jobs, tourism, and community building, and warned that the ANU’s plans put all of that at risk.
Economic Impact of Music
Hoodoo Gurus frontman Dave Faulkner also lent his voice to the cause, criticizing the proposed changes for stripping the School of Music of its primary role. “It’s taking away its primary role of one-on-one training of classical and jazz musicians. It’s not meant just for listening and talking about music,” he stated.
Faulkner highlighted the broader economic implications, noting that music is a significant driver of employment and economic activity in Australia. According to The Bass Line, Music Australia’s analysis of the music industry, it generated more than $8 billion in 2023-2024.
“Music is a very important thing for Australia as a country. People don’t notice that, but it’s happening around them all the time, and it’s creating all this engine of employment and jobs.”
Faulkner criticized the ANU’s restructuring plan as a “one-size-fits-all solution” that “makes no sense at all,” urging the university to find a more suitable alternative.
Cease Work Order Over Staff Safety
The controversy over the School of Music comes amid broader unrest at ANU, as a cease work order was issued by the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) due to health and safety concerns at the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, where the School of Music is housed. NTEU ACT’s division secretary, Lachlan Clohesy, described the situation as “extremely serious,” citing an imminent threat to staff safety.
According to the cease work order posted around the university campus, the restructuring process, called Renew ANU, had caused “serious and ongoing harm” to staff, including “extreme mental health conditions” which could have “catastrophic consequences.”
“Since the report went in, things have got worse, not better,” Clohesy said, noting that a report by an elected health and safety representative delivered to the ANU had not been acted upon.
The stop work order instructed workers to cease working on anything related to Renew ANU. As the situation unfolds, stakeholders await a response from ANU Chancellor Julie Bishop, who has been contacted for comment.
This development follows a growing trend of educational institutions facing financial pressures, prompting debates on the balance between budgetary constraints and preserving cultural and educational heritage. As the music industry and educational advocates rally against the proposed cuts, the outcome may set a precedent for how similar situations are handled in the future.
