Advocacy

As the state advocacy body for dance, coupled with a voice in the national network, Ausdance WA champions the call for recognition of the value of the dance sector at every opportunity. We contribute to industry research, policy reviews and development and ensure that the voice for dance in Western Australia is heard at both state and national levels. We bring expert knowledge and input from key stakeholders to policy reviews and developments to ensure the best outcomes for our sector – companies, organisations, teachers across all contexts, and independent dance artists and students.

Some of our recent highlights in this space includes:

Child Safety in Dance
Ausdance WA is committed to fostering a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment for all children and young people engaged in dance. We actively support initiatives that increase awareness, understanding, and compliance with child safety practices across the dance sector. In order to understand the specific challenges, risks and environments currently experienced in dance studios and schools in WA, Ausdance WA formed the Child Safe Dance Advisory Group in late 2024.In October 2025, we released a suite of dance-specific resources for the WA dance community to support the context we work in and address specific risks around the safety and wellbeing of young people. Find out more.
Whole of Life Engagement with Dance
The ‘Whole of Life Engagement with Dance: Training and Careers as Qualified Dance-Health Specialists in Western Australia’ discussion paper seeks to broaden the professional career opportunities for professionally qualified dancers in the dance industry and in the allied health sectors. We believe that a robust dance industry not only sustains artists but also delivers significant value to the wider community and passionately advocate to peak government bodies, policy and decision makers for greater recognition of dance’s multiple health benefits across the human lifespan. Read the paper.
Supporting the Establishment of Dance Teacher Traineeships in WA
Nationally, Ausdance has been a leader in promoting the ongoing education and training of dance teachers in Australia for nearly 50 years. While the private dance studio industry in Australia is currently unregulated, the absence of professionally trained and qualified teachers of dance is a critical issue. Long term, the sector seeks to pursue the introduction of compulsory qualifications for teaches of dance, however, attaining qualifications comes at a cost which many dance studio owners struggle to incur on behalf of their teachers and assistant teachers. We hope that the establishment of a traineeship (CUA30320 Certificate III in Assistant Dance Teaching and CUA40320 Certificate IV Dance Teaching & Management) supports both the affordability and increased uptake of training, ultimately increasing the quality of the teaching of dance and the safety of dance students. Find out more.

Submissions

Submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications, Arts and Sport - Inquiry into Philanthropic Giving and Private Support to Arts and Cultural Activity in Australia

February 2026

This submission responds to the Committee’s Terms of Reference by examining the structural realities of philanthropic giving in the dance sector and identifying policy reforms that would increase equitable private participation while safeguarding public responsibility.

Philanthropy is a valuable component of Australia’s cultural funding mix. However, evidence indicates it is:
• Concentrated in major institutions
• Capacity-dependent
• More accessible to organisations with development infrastructure
• Less available to independent artists and small-to-medium organisations
• Structurally metro-centric
• Frequently directed toward capital or short-term projects rather than core operations

Research from A New Approach (ANA) — particularly The Big Picture series — demonstrates that Australia’s public cultural expenditure is modest by OECD comparison and unevenly distributed across artforms and jurisdictions. Any policy expectation that philanthropy can substitute for baseline public investment would increase volatility, concentration and inequity.

Ausdance National submits a central policy principle: Philanthropic income must supplement, not replace, public investment. This submission recommends:
1. Protecting and strengthening baseline public funding
2. Incentivising multi-year and operational giving
3. Establishing national fiscal sponsorship infrastructure
4. Expanding matched funding programs
5. Building philanthropic capability in the small-to-medium sector
6. Embedding First Nations governance and Cultural authority safeguards

Prepared for Australian Dance Council, Ausdance Inc (National)
Contact: Julie Englefield Email: julie.englefield@ausdance.org.au Tel. 0426296050

WITH
Australian Dance Council, Ausdance (ACT) Inc
Australian Dance Council, Ausdance (QLD) Inc
Australian Dance Council, Ausdance (SA) Inc
Australian Dance Council, Ausdance (VIC) Inc
Australian Dance Council, Ausdance (WA) Inc

Read Submission

Submission to the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee

October 2025

Late last year Ausdance made this submission on behalf of the national Ausdance network of State and Territory organisations and Australia’s dance ecosystem—artists, educators, Cultural dance leaders, companies, studios, festivals, community organisations and allied health partners—across metropolitan, regional and remote Australia. We welcomed the Committee’s targeted interest in (a) tax reform and productivity, and (b) emerging technologies including artificial intelligence (AI).

Our positions are grounded in prior Ausdance submissions (national, state and territory), sector research on valuing the arts, First Nations consultations, and lived experiences of dance professionals, workers, practitioners and small businesses. The Ausdance national network also applauds and supports ANA’s (A New Approach) “Imagine 2035” call for a National Arts, Culture & Creativity Plan and urges its adoption alongside the National Cultural Policy. Such a plan should include a Strategy-on-a-Page, clear outcomes and measurements, and be underpinned by ongoing collaborations across levels of government (federal, state, territory, local) and with First Nations leadership.

In recognising culture’s role in addressing major societal challenges (inequality, health, climate, social isolation, cohesion), we recommend policy settings and funding programs explicitly allow for arts responses with social / environmental purpose, not only economic outputs.

Prepared for Australian Dance Council, Ausdance Inc (National)
Contact: Julie Englefield Email: julie.englefield@ausdance.org.au Tel. 0426296050

Read Submission

Submission to the National Office for Child Safety

February 2025

The national Ausdance network has made a landmark submission for dance to the National Office for Child Safety in response to its Child Safety Annual Reporting Framework consultation paper.

It is not possible to overstate the urgency expressed by Ausdance members to comprehensively address the issue of child safety. The overwhelming response of the dance sector – following substantial consultation over more than four years – is that it should be better regulated so the safety of children in organisations is improved.

The national Ausdance network has championed ‘Safe Dance’ since 1990. Currently, improving safety in dance environments, particularly for children, is a key priority for the network.

The National Office for Child Safety’s proposed child safety annual reporting framework aims to encourage and support organisations through capability building to implement good practice child safety policies and processes to embed cultures that prioritise the best interests of all children.

Read Submission

Ausdance National Pre-Budget Submission

December 2024

The national and state/territory peak bodies for dance, Ausdance National and the federated Ausdance network, welcome the opportunity to make a pre-budget submission on behalf of hundreds of thousands of practising dancers, students, choreographers, teachers and small business owners.

In Australia, 573,726 adults and 387,617 children participate regularly in dance activities. According to Fitness Australia, dance is the third most popular form of recreational activity. It is a part of everyday Australians’ lives, and the diversity and impact of its sectors and industry practice needs recognition in all new arts policies.

The 2025 federal budget should aim to recognise the social, economic, health/well-being, and cultural value of the arts in Australia, i.e. the arts in society as opposed to ‘arts’ as entertainment. The budget should respond to the evidence of the lifelong impact, influence and outcomes of dance participation, businesses, communities, organisations, health and education.

Read Submission