Music Therapy services under threat in Australia

Alison Short, Regional Representation to WFMT, Australia and New Zealand

I write to urgently inform you as our global community of WFMT membership that music therapy practice is under dire threat in Australia. The National Disability Insurance Agency, which services 650,000 Australians across a wide range of disabilities and conditions via the National Disability Insurance Scheme, has now decided via a recent review report to remove professional music therapy services to the currently 8,000 clients being serviced across Australia, stating that music therapy has “no evidence” for therapy that that does not improves “functional capacity” of clients. No consultation with the Australian Music Therapy Association occurred prior to the release of this report, which also targets other well established creative and integrative therapies. 

The Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA) and the university training programs have been working to reverse this decision via a wide range of advocacy channels including a delegation to Parliament House, Canberra. From the pressure applied by this delegation, AMTA has secured a meeting with the relevant senior Minister in charge of this decision, to be held this Friday 6^th December.

You can read more about this situation via the Statement from the Australian Music Therapy Association: NDIS funding for music therapy to be removed

In summary, we assert that strong evidence does exist for the use of music therapy in the disability sector, and that this evidence helps participants improve or maintain their functional capacity in areas such as language and communication, personal care, mobility and movement, interpersonal interactions, functioning (including psychosocial functioning) and community living. To confirm this, the Australian Music Therapy Association has published a summary of evidence, which can be accessed here: 2024 AMTA Disability evidence summary  

We have been advised that gaining international awareness and traction is an important factor in this situation, and we encourage all music therapists and those supporting music therapy around the world to support us in lobbying for a proper recognition of music therapy by the Australia Government. Specifically, we ask that Minister Shorten and the Australian Government National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) reverse this decision. Music therapy is an evidence-based allied health profession.

In order to assist with our advocacy efforts in Australia, we ask you to consider joining the online music therapy petition: CLICK HERE!

In addition to the work of AMTA, my University now has an advocacy page, where news and music therapy stories are being actively shared:

MusicTherapy@Western Advocacy Efforts

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