That Garrett acts so covertly in all of this, and has received so little public support from his fellow members of cabinet, indicates that we should be extremely suspicious of the whole process and demand transparency.

The only thing he has offered publicly is a patronizing and unconvincing father-know-best routine. Hardly reassuring. He says that he is “extremely confident” that he’s “made the right decision” and yet, in relation to year ahead, he won’t provide details because he doesn’t have any, and in relation to the last three months, he has all of the details and yet refuses to provide them.

All of this from a man who spent 25 years of his life imploring people to demand transparency and accountability from our elected representatives. Perhaps if ANAM and it’s vast number of supporters were able to turn up the volume he might be able to hear them.

It does not ‘overstate.. the fact ’ when i write about ANAM graduates winning all the competitions, getting all the orchestral places etc.. How about the recent finals of the ABC Young Performer [YPA] - all 3 finalists were from ANAM, the top Australian in the Sydney Piano Comp [SIPC], MOST new members of WASO, MSO, ASO, ACO, ,,,,, Of course you are correct in stating ” in most cases, the majority of ANAM attendees will have already achieved a degree in music at a university before attending ANAM … so ANAM cannot be granted all the credit” - but the ANAM ‘Finishing School’ touch is what was required to get these graduates to perform @ a standard which truly sets them apart. The YPA and SIPC winners were not graduates - one is still in high school!

The ‘slurs against the teaching standards of MU..’ - the full time academic teacher / researcher - publisher / bureaucrat model that is required for the successful MU music school is just not the right type to drive the hothouse finishing school ANAM model. This requires the one- on- one coach immersed in a narrow career dedicated to performing and teaching at an international standard, and with numerous student performance opportunities.

It only “makes sense that the money from ANAM will be redirected into such a super-faculty of music” if the ANAM model can be replicated and improved in that environment. To pull the plug on ANAM when there are NO detailed plans for its successor deserts the current and prospective ANAM students. These students audition for a particular teacher who they expect will get them ‘over the line’ into a performance career. The new AIMP has been designed ‘on the run’ as a structure to remove ANAM’s funding - it has no other current function. To pull the plug on ANAM in this way makes no sense. There is an agenda here, and it has little to do with current and prospective ANAM students.

As for the slurs against the teaching standards of Melbourne Uni as opposed to ANAM, one must remember that: (1) students are paid to attend ANAM, as opposed to having to pay to go to Uni; (2) there are no degree or even diploma programmes at ANAM - it’s all about practising and rehearsing all the time rather than writing essays or doing harmony exercises that are part of a more traditional music education. If MU provided the same music programme, the results would be the same.

Still, it galls that attendees at the Australian Institute of Sport are in a similar position to what those at ANAM enjoyed but those in the performing arts are forced to alter their future commitments.

With the Melbourne Uni Music Faculty - VCA merger happening at an increasing pace (and looking at future accommodation), it makes sense that the money from ANAM will be redirected into such a super-faculty of music.

I also support his suspicions about something being very fishy about Garrett’s motives and methods. It’s as if he’s been given a very unpleasant task to do by Kevin Rudd come hell or high water. And he’s done it. The nature of Rudd’s commitments to Melbourne Uni should be investigated as the students have been and will be the unfortunate losers in all of this. None of this done in their best interests!