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The Country Music Association of Australia is delighted to announce that multiple Grammy and ARIA Award winner Keith Urban, has established a scholarship for the CMAA Academy.
The Academy program precedes Australia’s largest music event – the Tamworth Country Music Festival, held each January in the nation’s ‘Country Music Capital’.
The two-week residential skills and career-development program was, and still is, a unique and world-leading initiative which has helped launch the careers of many of our current genre’s stars including Sara Storer, The McClymonts, Travis Collins, Amber Lawrence and The Sunny Cowgirls to name just a few of the 500-plus artists who have graduated since the Academy was established 21 years ago.
The inaugural recipient of the Keith Urban Scholarship is Heath Lancaster, who originally hails from Gladstone, near Kempsey.
“We chose Heath as the first recipient of this special scholarship as he has shown great musical talent and potential as an all-round artist – as a musician, singer and songwriter,” The Academy director Lyn Bowtell said.
“The Academy staff members can see a bright musical future for Heath if he chooses to pursue it as a career.”
Keith’s stellar career began in 1990 when the then 22-year-old won Australia’s premier talent search competition, Star Maker at the Tamworth festival.
Following the 1991 release of his self-titled debut album that produced four charting singles, Keith relocated to Nashville.
The rest, as they say, is history with every possible award – including US Entertainer of The Year (in 2005 and 2018), establishing him as one of the brightest stars in the world’s largest music market and one of our most successful music exports ever.
Many of The Academy graduates have targeted Toyota Star Maker as the first rung on the ladder to success, with fourteen of the past twenty winners of the prestigious title having come through the program.
The program focuses on songwriting, presentation and career/business skills and features guest lectures and mentoring by our leading artists – many of them ex-graduates themselves.
On receiving the news, CMAA President Dobe Newton, who helped establish The Academy said:
“This generosity is typical of the man who has never forgotten the part Tamworth played in launching his stellar career, typified by an unscheduled gig on his Australian tour last year to assist the many thousands of farmers, rural workers and communities affected by drought. The Keith Urban Scholarship will create a lasting legacy and hopefully allow a talented and determined young artist to follow in his footsteps. Thanks mate!”

Greens Senator for NSW and Education Spokesperson, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has welcomed Murdoch University’s decision to drop their counter claim for financial damages against academic whistleblower Dr Gerd Schröder-Turk but has said they should drop the entire suit. Dr Schröder-Turk spoke publicly about his concerns regarding inadequacies in Murdoch University’s policies for recruiting international students in 2019.
Dr Schröder-Turk is challenging the University’s decision to remove him from the university Senate following his comments and is being counter-sued by Murdoch University.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Academic freedom in essential to our universities. University staff must be free to critique their institutions without fear of reprisals like the one targeted at whistleblower Dr Schröder-Turk.
“The University has dropped the financial component of their claim only after sustained pressure and a public relations disaster, but it continues to pursue Dr Schroeder-Turk because he spoke out about university practices he was concerned about. The University’s decision to remove him from the Senate is just as objectionable – and just as much a PR disaster – as their abandoned pursuit of financial damages.
“I stand with Gerd, university staff and their union in their defence of the academic freedom that underpins our universities.
“I’m deeply concerned Murdoch University’s unprecedented legal action against Dr Schroeder-Turk is having a silencing effect on other academics and whistleblowers. The University should admit it was wrong and drop the entire case.”

Will Hodgman is a Tasmanian and Liberal legend whose leadership has engineered the state’s remarkable turnaround.
He leaves behind a record of distinguished service.
Cutting unemployment from 7.6 per cent to 6.0 per cent and creating more than 19,200 new jobs.
Turning the tide on the 1,000 Tasmanians who left the state each year with the latest figures showing the population grew by almost 2,000 people from mainland Australia in net terms.
Working closely together to deliver the Hobart and Launceston City Deals, a $2.8 billion infrastructure program for projects like the Bridgewater Bridge, Bass, Murchison and Midland Highways, not to mention the Battery of the Nation and Marinus Link projects.
I want to congratulate Will on his leadership and the achievements of his government and thank him for his friendship and support.
As the current longest serving premier, Will has also made a great national contribution not just at the COAG table but in his quiet advocacy for the interests of Tasmania and Australia at every opportunity.
In his maiden speech, Will paid tribute to the tremendous role model his father was, including as a fellow Parliamentarian, hoping to “display the same level of passion, commitment and service to the community”. I think the record shows, Will, you have done that in spades over your more than 17 year parliamentary career and your father would be rightly proud.
Will has been not just a leader for Tasmania, but a tremendous friend and support to me.
I wish him, Nicky and their family all the best as they move to this next stage.
Scott Morrison

Farm, fish and forestry businesses in fire-affected regions will get the help they need to rebuild with an initial $100 million in emergency bushfire funding, which will be made available following agreement with relevant state governments.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Government would provide up to $75,000 in grants for farming businesses in fire-affected regions, with the funding administered by each state government.
“We will do whatever it takes to support those communities and businesses hit by these fires, and if we need to do more, we will,” the Prime Minister said.
“I need to stress this is an uncapped program so if demand for support goes above $100 million, money will continue to flow.
“As the scale of the damage becomes apparent, it is clear that our farm, our fish and forest businesses need support and along with communities who depend on them, we will help them rebuild and we will continue to back them.
“This funding will support primary producers to access essentials like fodder and water, while also help rebuild fencing or hire vital agricultural equipment like water pumps, irrigation systems, horticultural netting and generators.”
This funding is in addition to the extensive work being undertaken by the Australian Defence Force, clearing roads and properties and helping communities rebuild.
The Morrison Government will also provide $15 million to fund 60 additional rural financial counsellors and support workers.
Already the Rural Financial Counselling Service is on the ground providing free financial counselling to our farmers in times of need with now approximately 180 counsellors located within key agricultural communities across Australia.
Minister for Agriculture Bridget McKenzie said so many rural businesses had been hard hit by the bushfires and they were now looking at how they could rebuild.
“Rural and regional communities particularly across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia have been hit hard by the bushfires and we will continue to work together to support all those Australians whose livelihoods have been devastated by these fires,” Minister McKenzie said.
“This funding could help pay for tradespeople to conduct farm safety inspections, for veterinary fees, waste disposal and to repair any damaged property.
“Our farmers, fishers and foresters have been hit extremely hard by these terrible fires. I’ve seen firsthand, farmers who have left their properties to fight fires.
“Our farmers are resilient and very generous putting themselves on the line for their friends and neighbours.
“These grants of up to $75,000 will help get them the equipment they need to start rebuilding.
“We’re working closely with farming groups to develop specific industry recovery plans.”
Minister for Natural Disaster and Emergency Management David Littleproud said the grants were designed to make sure farmers are equipped to get the job done.
“We are working with the states to get these funds to farmers as quickly as possible under existing Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements,” Minister Littleproud said.
As with the grants for the North Queensland floods in early 2019, funds under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangement will be made available to state governments of impacted communities, on request, for delivery through their relevant state disaster response agency.
“This is critical support for primary producers to meet their immediate needs in getting their agriculture businesses back up and running where those needs are not covered under existing insurance policies,” Minister Littleproud said.
“Primary producers from farmers and fishers to private foresters and beekeepers will all be eligible to apply under the extended definition of primary producers in the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.”
Farmers who have been tackling the drought and have off-farm income won’t be disadvantaged, the same off-farm income rules for Farm Household Allowance will apply. This means farmers that aren’t eligible for Category C payments due to off-farm income rules will still be eligible for up to $75,000 to help them normalise their farm businesses as quickly as possible.
Funding will be available through the Emergency Bushfire Response in Primary Industries Grants Program.
This assistance will be provided through a joint Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangement between states and territories and the Commonwealth Government.
Further details will be announced as soon as state-based delivery arrangements are confirmed.
This initiative forms part of $2 billion commitment the Morrison Government has made to address the impact of the recent bushfires.
For more information on the Emergency Bushfire Response in Primary Industries Grants Program please contact 1800 900 090.