Key takeaways: Australia’s National Songbook preserves songs that have helped shape the country’s cultural identity. The first 10 inductees span more than a century of Australian music and storytelling. APRA AMCOS and the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) established the annual initiative. Explore the inaugural songs, their creators and release years below.

Protest, celebration and observations on Australia and its people feature among the themes represented in the country’s National Songbook, which inducted its first 10 songs on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Announced at a special event at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia in Canberra, the country’s capital, the National Songbook inducted 10 songs. The new annual initiative recognizes songs, songwriters and composers “whose creative vision has given voice to Australian stories.”

Among the selected works are Midnight Oil’s “Beds Are Burning,” the Easybeats’ “Friday on My Mind,” Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman,” the Presets’ “My People,” Yothu Yindi’s “Treaty” and Andrew “Banjo” Paterson’s “Waltzing Matilda.”

APRA AMCOS and the NFSA created the project to preserve “the songs that have helped shape Australia’s cultural identity.” Its launch coincides with APRA’s 100th anniversary.

“No ten songs could ever tell the whole story of Australia, but together these inaugural inductees help us understand, as a nation, where we’ve come from, who we are and the values we’ve carried through generations,” said APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston.

“As APRA celebrates 100 years of championing songwriters, composers and music publishers, we welcome these debut entries into The National Songbook as songs that have helped become part of our shared cultural story, reflecting the extraordinary breadth, diversity and richness of Australian songwriting and composing.”

As the collection grows, the songbook is intended to become a permanent digital archive safeguarding musical works for future generations.

“The National Songbook reflects the remarkable breadth of Australian songwriting and composition, from songs of protest, belonging and identity to works that have become woven into our national story and our DNA,” said NFSA chief curator Meagan Loader.

“As Australia’s audiovisual archive, the NFSA will ensure these songs and stories are preserved in our national collection of works of significant cultural heritage, heft and heart, providing a new way for Australians now and into the future to engage with the songs and songwriters who have shaped us.”

The inaugural inductees were selected by an expert panel and represent more than a century of Australian storytelling, creativity and cultural expression.

The National Songbook playlists are available on Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube Music; more information is available from the NFSA.