The inside story on how Australia's moment to shine in the arts world went horribly wrong
According to the independent report of Blackhall & Pearl, no single individual should be blamed for the 'series of missteps, assumptions and missed opportunities' that led to the board of Creative Australia's shock dumping of the pair when the artist's back catalogue stirred controversy in the halls of Parliament House.
In this, the report draws a line between the Dural bomb hoax and other antisemitic events and the febrile environment and heightened sensitivities around which the board of Creative Australia capitulated to political and media pressures on February 13.
War in the Middle East was the broader context, and Creative Australia, its executive and board, should have been more alert to the geopolitical shock waves headed its way, it said.
But in refusing to apportion blame the report downplays the significance of a looming federal election, the perceived existential threat to the independence and funding of the organisation, and the principle of executive accountability.
Creative Australia's chair Robert Morgan has retired, making way for Wesley Enoch. The agency's experienced chief executive, Adrian Collette, has apologised and committed himself to restoring community trust, signalling he will stay for the rebuild. But few insiders believe he can survive Australia's biggest arts scandal in more than a decade.
And then there was one
Sabsabi and Dagostino were selected for Venice 2026 after a lengthy selection process in which a panel of industry advisors whittled six shortlisted artistic teams to one.
Both were experienced practitioners and the pair's project was regarded as a standout. Hopes were high for the new team after Australia's previous representative, Archie Moore, collected the Golden Lion, the equivalent of an Olympic gold medal at the prestigious arts show.
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Perth Now
8 hours ago
- Perth Now
Warning after huge festival teases Aus event
Rumours that Australia may soon be home to a massive international music festival have swirled this week, with the stir prompting a reminder for Aussies to also look inward to the incredible talent of homegrown artists. The speculation was sparked when eagle-eyed festival goers spotted 'Melbourne, November 2026' on the walk into the electronic dance festival Tomorrowland in Belgium. Festival organisers have since revealed that while an Australian Tomorrowland is not currently on the cards, a festival featuring a CORE stage could be on the way - though organisers are yet to disclose when or where in Australia this could be. A Tomorrowland spokeswoman described CORE events as an 'experience where nature, music and art meet', with last year's CORE stage used at Tomorrowland in Mexico featuring hundreds of moving lights and LED flares, water fountains and geysers and firework fountains to match the energy of the pulsing electronic beats. The exciting news comes off the back of a bleak period in Australia's festival sector, with more than 10 events axed last year and several more — including Splendour in the Grass and Groovin The Moo — sitting 2025 out. A CORE festival down under is likely to spell success as interest in all things rave and electronic dance music continue to experience a steady rise in popularity across the country. Splendour in the Grass will not go ahead in 2025. Supplied/ Splendour Credit: Supplied Nearly a quarter of all festivals held in the country last year featured electronic music, with Australia the third-largest consumer of the genre on Spotify, according to reports by Music Australia and Creative Australia. Australian Festival Association managing director Olly Arkins likened Tomorrowland organisers turning their eye to Australia as a 'testament to the hard yards' local artists and promoters had been putting in for more than a decade. '(It's) just a real endorsement for the strength of the local electronic music scene in Melbourne, and the work that artists and promoters have been doing there for so long,' Arkins said. Amyl and the Sniffers. Mark Wilson Credit: News Corp Australia But while an event of CORE's magnitude appears on track to please Aussies and bring audiences some respite from the recent cancellations, it also raises the importance of including local artists on big bills. Acknowledging a large event such as Tomorrowland would be very exciting, Arkins emphasised the need to bolster the local music industry rather than just focusing on the 'shiny new thing'. 'The whole music ecosystem and industry is dependent on the strength of the grassroots,' Arkins said. 'The biggest problem we are facing at the moment for Australian artists is discoverability and competition with other English-speaking nations.' Groovin the Moo will also sit out 2025. Patrick Woods. Credit: Supplied More than half of Aussies not seeking local gigs About 66 per cent of music-engaged Aussies reported they wanted to hear more local music, but only 33 per cent were actively seeking out local acts, Creative Australia's June report found. Additionally, more than 50 per cent of Australian artists' rights were earned by overseas streams in 2023-24. Arkins claimed streaming platforms were allowing American artists to dominate algorithms, pushing Aussie music to the side. 'These big international events coming out are important, but they're only going to be successful if they've got a strong base and a strong music community and industry to leverage off,' Arkins said. 'The success of small music festivals is also just as important as the big shiny stuff like Tomorrowland.' A Tomorrowland spokeswoman said the CORE and Tomorrowland events brought together new releases and emerging artists from label CORE records. 'Branching off to different subgenres with both internationally renowned acts, as well as new talents to discover, CORE aims to give people enough energy for a proper party, while also introducing them to upcoming artists and special discoveries that they wouldn't expect,' the spokeswoman said. It is unclear whether any Aussie acts would be added to the bill. Aussie music 'soundtrack to life' Arts Minister Tony Burke expressed his support for any event planning to platform Aussie artists, while speaking generally. 'Australia produces some of the best music in the world. Last weekend's triplej Hottest 100 of Australian songs only further proved that,' Mr Burke said. 'Any event that wants to come here, platform our artists and provide jobs to our arts workers is a great one. 'We want our Australian music to be the soundtrack to life in Australia.' Aussie act Amyl and the Sniffers opened for the Foo Fighters at a one-off show in Geelong, Victoria, in 2022. Mark Wilson Credit: News Corp Australia The Foo Fighters last toured Australia in 2023. Mark Wilson Credit: News Corp Australia The federal government has injected nearly $8m into 112 live music businesses across the country, with an additional $25m to be invested into live music venues in the next two years. In Victoria — the rumoured host of a CORE event — the state government invests in local artists opening for international acts, backing Melbourne rockers Jet with their support of Lenny Kravitz's November performance. Tina Arena opening for Billy Joel and The Temper Trap for Kings of Leon in 2022 are among other performances supported by the Victorian government, along with the unforgettable 2022 Geelong gig at which Amyl and the Sniffers opened what would become one of the Foo Fighters' last performances with drummer Taylor Hawkins. Lenny Kravitz is touring Australia in November this year. Supplied. Credit: Supplied Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos said the state was the live music and events capital of the country, with its government backing several events with grants of up to $50,000. This includes 33 festivals, such as the Queenscliff Music Festival. 'Victoria has built a strong reputation for delivering major music events that bring in visitors from across Australia and around the world, supporting local jobs and showcasing our homegrown talent,' Mr Dimopoulos said. Michael McMartin managed Aussie rockers Hoodoo Gurus. supplied Credit: Supplied In a similar vein, NSW recently became the first Aussie government to back the Michael's Rule initiative, which calls for at least one local artist to be brought in to support international acts in Australia. Venue hire fees will be cut by $20,000 for each eligible show that adheres to the rule, which was established in 2024 following the death of artist manager Michael McMartin. The fees for Opera House gigs will also be slashed by $5000 if they comply with the rule.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
What if Putin hosted the Olympics today? Would we hesitate to boycott?
Russia has invaded a neighbouring country and started a brutal war. If Moscow was hosting the next summer Olympic Games, would Australia compete? It's hard to see today's federal government, backed by public opinion, allowing Australians to go, but in 1980, after the USSR had invaded Afghanistan, the Fraser government recommended a boycott but let athletes and their governing bodies make up their own minds. Nearly all took the view that sport existed outside politics. Most countries in the Olympic community were going (as they would now, led by China and India, which still trade freely with Russia; indeed, Russia has hosted a Winter Olympics and a FIFA World Cup since its first invasion of Ukraine in 2014). The athletes who had dedicated their lives to this goal didn't want to lose their one and only chance. Subsequently, some of them were made to feel ashamed of going. There was no ticker-tape parade, though this was not unusual; there had been no such parades in 1972 or '76, and they did not become a regular event until later. Forty-five years after the Moscow Games, Australia's 1980 Olympians have been officially recognised. Hearing Michelle Ford, Peter Hadfield and others speak of how they were shunned after Moscow is saddening, and if recognition lightens the burden they have carried, then it is warranted. Anthony Albanese said, in parliament, 'Today, on the 45th anniversary, we recognise all that you have achieved and acknowledge all that you have overcome. Take pride in both. You are Olympians, you are Australians, and you have earned your place in the history of the Games and our nation. Welcome to parliament, and welcome home.' Loading What if, 45 years from now, a prime minister were to say to our athletes, 'Russia's invasion of Ukraine cast a dark shadow over what should have been your shining moment'. Those few words (but replace 'Ukraine' with 'Afghanistan') were Albanese's only reference to the invaded nation. In the war that the Soviet Union started in 1979, nearly half of the country's 13 million people were killed, injured or displaced. The Soviets suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties. Their self-inflicted debacle in Afghanistan was, along with Korea and Vietnam, the most horrific of the Cold War stalemates. Its scale dwarfs what Russia has done, so far, to Ukraine. We would have no hesitation boycotting Russia today for the 500,000 dead and injured in Putin's war. Yet the many more killed in Afghanistan were forgotten even as they died. Little or no independent media were allowed to report from the conflict. On Wednesday, Sussan Ley, to her credit, spoke empathetically about the Afghan refugees who resettled here and the rightness of Australia offering them a home.
The Age
a day ago
- The Age
What if Putin hosted the Olympics today? Would we hesitate to boycott?
Russia has invaded a neighbouring country and started a brutal war. If Moscow was hosting the next summer Olympic Games, would Australia compete? It's hard to see today's federal government, backed by public opinion, allowing Australians to go, but in 1980, after the USSR had invaded Afghanistan, the Fraser government recommended a boycott but let athletes and their governing bodies make up their own minds. Nearly all took the view that sport existed outside politics. Most countries in the Olympic community were going (as they would now, led by China and India, which still trade freely with Russia; indeed, Russia has hosted a Winter Olympics and a FIFA World Cup since its first invasion of Ukraine in 2014). The athletes who had dedicated their lives to this goal didn't want to lose their one and only chance. Subsequently, some of them were made to feel ashamed of going. There was no ticker-tape parade, though this was not unusual; there had been no such parades in 1972 or '76, and they did not become a regular event until later. Forty-five years after the Moscow Games, Australia's 1980 Olympians have been officially recognised. Hearing Michelle Ford, Peter Hadfield and others speak of how they were shunned after Moscow is saddening, and if recognition lightens the burden they have carried, then it is warranted. Anthony Albanese said, in parliament, 'Today, on the 45th anniversary, we recognise all that you have achieved and acknowledge all that you have overcome. Take pride in both. You are Olympians, you are Australians, and you have earned your place in the history of the Games and our nation. Welcome to parliament, and welcome home.' Loading What if, 45 years from now, a prime minister were to say to our athletes, 'Russia's invasion of Ukraine cast a dark shadow over what should have been your shining moment'. Those few words (but replace 'Ukraine' with 'Afghanistan') were Albanese's only reference to the invaded nation. In the war that the Soviet Union started in 1979, nearly half of the country's 13 million people were killed, injured or displaced. The Soviets suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties. Their self-inflicted debacle in Afghanistan was, along with Korea and Vietnam, the most horrific of the Cold War stalemates. Its scale dwarfs what Russia has done, so far, to Ukraine. We would have no hesitation boycotting Russia today for the 500,000 dead and injured in Putin's war. Yet the many more killed in Afghanistan were forgotten even as they died. Little or no independent media were allowed to report from the conflict. On Wednesday, Sussan Ley, to her credit, spoke empathetically about the Afghan refugees who resettled here and the rightness of Australia offering them a home.
