2026 APRA Writer election nominees
Lachlan Bryce
BIOGRAPHY
Lachlan Bryce is regionally based, Australian songwriter, composer, performer, and music educator with more than two decades of professional experience across contemporary, classical, blues, and theatrical music.
His career encompasses solo and ensemble performance with bands, orchestras, choirs, and stage productions in Australia and overseas, as well as radio airplay and composition for film, advertising, and community organisations.
Following university studies in music and entertainment, Lachlan pursued specialist training in vocal anatomy, songwriting, recording, and sync licensing.
His debut album, Rising Sons, was released in 2015 with support from the RSL and in partnership with Queensland mental health charity White Cloud Foundation. Music from the album was subsequently performed by the Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra as part of its Battlefronts concert.
Lachlan was also commissioned to compose and produce a song for Those Left Behind, an organisation raising awareness of police suicide, and has performed at numerous charitable and fundraising events.
For 16 years, he has taught voice, multiple instruments, songwriting, and recording to students across a broad range of ages and experience levels, while continuing as a writer, recording artist, and performer.
ELECTION STATEMENT
Australian songwriters and composers deserve more than a seat at the table. They deserve informed advocacy, practical education, and a strong voice in the decisions shaping their livelihoods.
I’m a long time member, first time board nominee. I am standing because I believe one of the greatest opportunities for our industry is helping writers bridge the gap between creativity and commerce. Too many talented creators leave income unrealised because the business side of the industry can be difficult to understand and navigate.
My priorities are improving member education, increasing creator financial literacy, and ensuring creators are equipped to respond to the opportunities and challenges presented by emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
As a regional member, I am committed to ensuring writers outside major music hubs have a strong voice and equal access to information, opportunities, and support.
I have been accepted into the 2027 Board Observership Program and paired with the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum (ANVAM), further strengthening my governance capability and board contribution.
My goal is simple: help more Australian creators build sustainable, successful careers at home and internationally.
Professor Robert Burke
BIOGRAPHY
Robert Burke is an internationally acclaimed composer, performer, and researcher with a career spanning more than 45 years across jazz, popular, improvisation, experimental, new, and classical music. He has performed internationally at major festivals and venues, released 17 albums under his own name, and contributed (performance-composition) to over 300 recordings, including The Black Sorrows, Kate Ceberano, Paul Grabowsky, George Lewis, and Hermeto Pascoal. His work blends improvisation, composition, and performance, positioning him at the forefront of multiple musical traditions.
As a professor at Monash University, Robert’s research investigates creativity, copyright, ethics, and the intersection of composition and improvisation. He leads the ARC-funded project Diversifying Music in Australia, the first national study of gender equity in jazz and improvisation. His research actively informs practice, shaping how musicians, educators, and institutions approach practice, composition and creativity.
Robert is the president and founder of the Australasian Jazz and Improvisation Research Network (AJIRN), creating platforms for collaboration and research dissemination across Oceania and Asia. He has served as Head of School and Head of Jazz and Improvisation Studies at Monash University. A member of APRA for 36 years and AMCOS for 22, he brings deep industry knowledge and strong advocacy for creators’ rights.
ELECTION STATEMENT
Over the past 45 years, I have built a career in music as a composer and performer across jazz, pop, classical, experimental music, and film. Working with musicians in Australia and internationally has shaped my understanding of the different experiences within our industry and the shared commitment that brings us together. Alongside my musical practice, my academic research explores creativity, experimentation, collaboration, equity, and sustainability. Bringing these perspectives together helps me understand the challenges creators face and contribute evidence to advocacy and policy.
I have seen the ways we create, perform and share music change dramatically. Streaming and artificial intelligence are at the forefront of these changes, making fair recognition and payment for creators essential to sustaining a vibrant music community.
If elected, I would work with fellow board members and listen to APRA’s membership to support sustainable licensing, transparent royalty distribution and the protection of creators’ rights. I would draw on research and practical experience to inform government policy discussions and support action on diversity and inclusion.
I would bring an open, informed and collaborative approach to the board, helping APRA strengthen the conditions in which creators across our music community can sustain their livelihoods and develop their work.
Mark Callaghan (Incumbent Australian Writer Director)
BIOGRAPHY
I’ve been an APRA writer member since 1980 and am probably best known as the singer-songwriter with GANGgajang and The Riptides. In addition to playing thousands of gigs and writing over 400 songs including ‘Sounds Of Then (This Is Australia)’, I’ve composed music for television and theatre and had my songs used in movies and countless TV episodes.
I’ve also had a parallel career in music publishing, enabling me to combine my love of songwriting with a deep knowledge of the business that surrounds it. My industry roles have included Managing Director of Wise Music, General Manager of AMPAL and General Manager of Shock Music Publishing. I’ve also been an Adjunct Professor at QUT and served as a Director of Support Act Limited where I created the all-inclusive 3,000-member EveryOneBand project to raise money for Support Act Crisis Relief.
Throughout my time working in the music business, I’ve continued to write, perform and record. As a singer, songwriter, musician, and industry professional, I’ve developed a unique perspective on the music business and a passion for supporting Australian music that remains undiminished since I first strummed a few tentative chords in sleepy late 70’s Brisbane. For more detail please see here.
ELECTION STATEMENT
As I stand for re-election to the APRA Board, I’m mindful of the huge challenge facing us in the years ahead. AI music represents an existential threat to all APRA members, and I’m committed to fighting any erosion of our rights and livelihoods. I’m offering myself for re-election in the belief that my knowledge, experience and passion will help guide the organisation through this crucial period.
Beyond the challenge of AI music, my efforts will continue to be on ensuring that APRA delivers efficiency and value for members. My core focus is:
· Continued reductions in APRA’s expense to revenue ratio so every member receives the maximum royalties possible;
· Increasing the share of APRA revenues paid to Australian and New Zealand members;
· Increased royalty statement information and transparency;
· Support our emerging songwriters to thrive and deliver APRA’s future revenues.
I’ve played tiny gigs and stadiums, I’ve had hits and misses, I’ve experienced all the ups and downs of a life in music. Along the way I’ve developed deep understanding of how the music business works and if re-elected to the APRA board, I’ll use that knowledge to help the organisation create a robust future for all members.
Francesca de Valence
BIOGRAPHY
Francesca de Valence is a songwriter, teacher, and entrepreneur from Magandjin/Brisbane, founder of the arts organisation I Heart Songwriting Club (IHSC) and host of The Magic of Songwriting podcast. IHSC has over 1,000 Australian members, part of a community that writes weekly and has created more than 35,000 songs. Some have been nominated for ARIA Awards, synched to feature films and performed on world tours.
IHSC runs regional programs in Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia, giving writers practical tools, mentoring and pathways into the industry. In February 2026 it published one of the first AI policies in the Australian arts sector.
Francesca co-founded the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival, which offers professional development for established artists and mentoring for emerging writers. Alongside writing a song every week for 12 years, she co-writes with other artists, including two songs on Vika & Linda’s number 1, 2026 ARIA-nominated album Where Do You Come From?
A Board Director and Company Secretary of QMusic, Francesca holds a Diploma of Governance and postgraduate degrees in music and education. She has taught at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and led workshops worldwide with APRA AMCOS, the Irish Music Rights Organisation and Folk Alliance International
ELECTION STATEMENT
I’m Francesca from Magandjin/Brisbane, a songwriter, teacher, founder of I Heart Songwriting Club and co-founder of Whitsundays Songwriter Festival. For 12 years I’ve built programs for thousands of songwriters, from first-timers to ARIA-nominated artists.
Most APRA members aren’t chart-toppers. They’re working writers in cities and regional towns across the country, juggling day jobs and families. They are the majority and deserve a voice at board level. I am that voice.
Collecting is APRA’s core business, from the corner cafe to big tech, and that must include AI companies. Then it must pay writers accurately and report clearly. The more you earn, the more votes you get. That’s outdated, especially when we can’t clearly see where the money goes.
I’m a Board Director and Company Secretary of QMusic with a Diploma of Governance. I ask hard questions and listen. As the only woman on this ballot, I know diverse boards make better decisions.
I want every songwriter, wherever they live, to feel APRA is working for them. Thank you to both incumbents for six-plus years of service. It’s time for new people at the table. You can vote for two candidates. I’d be grateful if one of them was me.
Cameron Gullo
BIOGRAPHY
Cameron Gullo has built his career across artist management, publishing, marketing and as an industry leader, with a particular focus on championing Christian and Gospel music in Australia.
Cameron entered the industry touring internationally as a musician alongside artists including Delta Goodrem, which gave him a unique vantage point into the industry and what it takes to build a lasting career.
He has since founded 1606 Management, where he represents leading and emerging artists across Australia and the United States, helping build careers that extend well beyond their home markets.
Recognising the need for greater infrastructure within Australia’s Christian and Gospel music genre, Cameron also founded the Christian Music Conference. CMC brings artists, songwriters, and industry leaders together, creating new pathways between the genre and the wider Australian music business.
Committed to creating stronger opportunities, Cameron has the greatest belief in Australian music and its writers which stands firm at the heart of his work.
ELECTION STATEMENT
I believe Australian songwriters have some of the greatest stories the world has ever known, and I want to help more of those reach the people they’re written to serve, here at home and across the globe.
In a streaming-led music economy, where a tidal wave of songs compete for attention every day, talent alone does not guarantee that a writer will be heard or able to build a sustainable career.
Because of this, I am championing Australian artists on the global stage, while pioneering stronger opportunities here at home.
I have built my career in the new music business, working across artist management, publishing, and marketing, and I know what it takes for Australian music to dominate globally.
This is the spirit and perspective I will bring to the APRA Board; my passion, networks, years of successful music marketing experience, and a determination to ensure Australian songwriters have every opportunity to build lasting careers and take their music to the world.
David Hiscox
BIOGRAPHY
I was writing songs before I started learning the piano at age 7 and continue to compose to this day.
I have taught piano for a quarter of a century, and performed and recorded solo and with ensembles and bands covering the genres of classical, heavy metal, rock, jazz and blues.
My foundational musical experiences include:
Extensive ear training as a youngster learning piano under the Suzuki Method;
Experiencing the profound shift in musical sensibilities in the early to mid 1990’s;
Being repeatedly informed at university that as a straight White male, I was a recipient of unfair privilege;
Finding a way to make a living as a musician regardless.
As songwriters, we see things as they could be, rather than as they currently are, and bring our ideas from our minds into reality.
This understanding has in the last decade helped me to strive, with some success, to influence public policy discussion through my blog, The XYZ.
ELECTION STATEMENT
AI generated music is presented as a double threat to songwriters - breach of copyright, and being replaced by robots.
AI is indeed by definition breach of copyright, however geopolitical rivalry means there is no point in legislative or legal restraint.
The ubiquity of the term “AI slop” indicates a strong cultural immune system in favour of authenticity, so AI panic is overblown.
AI’s strength is in summarising huge quantities of information and automating complex processes. This presents a huge opportunity for songwriters to streamline the process of recording, bypass the expense of lawyers, publicists, distributors etc, and transcend the control of music labels.
As a leading cultural institution, APRA can promote an environment where AI allows ordinary songwriters to bypass an entire industry to directly access an audience.
However, I’m not really talking about AI. AI is currently able to mimic human expression because popular music has already become an algorithm. The common perception of what the music industry demands in order to achieve success means that musicians police their own creativity.
The transformative possibility of AI is this - once songwriters face no structural barriers to reaching a broad audience, limitless creativity becomes achievable and economically viable.
Jo Loewenthal
BIOGRAPHY
Johan (Jo) Loewenthal is a songwriter, producer and the frontman of Tora, and records solo as JPL. He runs his own label, JPL Records, and administers his own catalogue, publishing and neighbouring rights globally.
An APRA Full Writer Member, Jo has spent recent years using privacy and access laws to obtain work-level royalty data from collecting societies on four continents, and made public submissions on governance and transparency to the ACCC during APRA’s 2026 re-authorisation. The ACCC’s final determination cites his submissions throughout.
In September 2026 he organised the first members’ resolutions on an APRA AGM agenda in at least a decade, signed by 121 members, calling for raw data access and published election results.
With more than twenty years in the industry as an artist, label owner and rights administrator, Jo has first-hand knowledge of the music business and the challenges artists and industry professionals face. He is standing to bring solutions: transparency, accountability, and a society that acts like it belongs to its members.
ELECTION STATEMENT
I’m a working songwriter standing on one platform: transparency, accountability, and a society that acts like it belongs to its members.
What I’ve already done
• Obtained work-level royalty data from nine overseas societies under privacy law.
• Put the evidence before the ACCC. Its final determination cites me forty times and finds our statements “provide only aggregated payments details.”
• Organised 121 members to put two resolutions on this agenda — raw data access, and election results in numbers. The first members’ resolutions at an APRA AGM in at least a decade.
What I’ll do with a seat
• Vote against every directors’ fee increase. Move to publish what each director is paid.
• Push for the data behind every payment — yours, free, on request.
• Get an independent review of costs and distribution accuracy, published to members.
• Your vote is set by your earnings. If the data behind those earnings is wrong, so is your vote. I’ll fight to get it right.
• Disclose every interest on day one. Report to you on every vote I cast.
Why me
I’ve shown I can turn questions into results before holding any seat. Give me a seat, and I’ll bring positive change from the inside.
Jonathan Zwartz (Incumbent Australian Writer Director)
BIOGRAPHY
Jonathan Zwartz is an ARIA award winning composer, double bassist, producer, songwriter, live music advocate and curator.
As double bassist, Jonathan has played with Pharoah Sanders, Branford Marsalis, Kurt Elling, Nigel Kennedy, Larry Goldings, Renee Geyer, Mike Nock, Sandy Evans and Katie Noonan.
He has released three award-winning albums as composer and bandleader.
He co-produced, played on and wrote the orchestrations for singer/songwriter Martha Marlow’s critically acclaimed debut album ‘Medicine Man’ released in May 2021, and is working on her collaborative project ‘Queen of the Night with pianist Chris Abrahams.
Jonathan has a Masters Degree in Music from ANU, an Associate Diploma in Jazz Studies from the NSW Conservatorium and completed a diploma in screen composition at AFTRS in 2012.
Jonathan has composed music for documentaries, short films, as well as promotional advertisements including ‘Man Up’ (ABC TV) that went viral worldwide with 70 million hits. He co-produced a ten part series on Australian jazz for ABC TV entitled ‘The Pulse’.
He is a co-director of the Starfish Club, a monthly concert series now in it’s 30th year, that has featured artists such as Don Walker, Tim Rogers, Amanda Brown, Steve Kilbey, Jim Moginie, Mahalia Barnes and many more.
ELECTION STATEMENT
I am an ARIA Award-winning career musician, composer, curator and producer, an APRA member since 1982, and an APRA Writer Director since 2020.
I helped shepherd the ‘recognition of jazz improvisations as compositions’ to become APRA policy, with Australia joining France as one of a few countries paying royalties on improvised performances.
I am a passionate advocate for Australian music and musicians.
I curated the ABC TV music series The Pulse, served on City of Sydney's Live Music Taskforce, and arranged live performances for many Sydney venues. I have hosted and performed with artists including Pharoah Sanders, Nigel Kennedy, Genesis Owusu and Renee Geyer.
APRA is a not-for-profit organisation. The board are all APRA members. Every decision made, discussion and piece of advocacy to Canberra is solely for the benefit of APRA members.
I am proud to be part of this organisation as I know firsthand how much the welfare of songwriters and composers means to APRA.
We are in the fight of our lives. I am committed to helping protect members from the existential threat posed by AI. I believe we need strong regulation, transparency and accountability regarding AI companies operating in Australia, ensuring creators are protected and remunerated.