Midnight Oil, The Easybeats and Helen Reddy Among First Songs Inducted Into Australia's National Songbook

Ten songs have been inducted into Australia's National Songbook, a new annual list that honours songs, songwriters and composers whose work gave voice to Australian stories. The first group was celebrated at an event at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) in Canberra on Wednesday 4 November, which also kicks off Ausmusic Month.

The project is run by APRA AMCOS, the body that collects royalties for Australian songwriters and music publishers, together with the NFSA, the national archive that looks after the country's film and sound collections. APRA AMCOS first announced the songbook in July 2026.

Among the inductees is Midnight Oil's “Beds Are Burning”. Peter Garrett, Rob Hirst and Jim Moginie wrote the song, which was released in 1987. The NFSA has described it as a huge international hit and one of the first songs to deal with Indigenous rights.

The Easybeats' “Friday On My Mind” is also on the list. Harry Vanda and George Young wrote it, and it was a global hit in 1966, according to ABC News.

Helen Reddy's “I Am Woman” made the cut too. Reddy and Ray Burton wrote the song, released in 1971. The Presets' “My People”, written by Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes and released in 2007, and Yothu Yindi's “Treaty” are also among the first inductees.

The group also includes older and more folk-rooted works. Andrew “Banjo” Paterson's “Waltzing Matilda” is on the list, as are Ruby Hunter's “Down City Streets”, released in 1990, and Neil Murray's “My Island Home”.

The list runs from a bush ballad to electronic-leaning pop, and each entry carries the names of the people who wrote it. The songbook will add new songs each year, so the first ten are a starting point rather than a closed set. The full announcement and list of inductees are available from Billboard and from APRA AMCOS.