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Dear colleague,
I’m writing to share with you the outcome of the external review into the governance, decision-making and risk management processes surrounding Australia’s participation in the 2026 Venice Biennale, and the Australia Council Board of Creative Australia’s (‘the Board’) response.
The review report finds that there was no single or predominant failure of process, governance or decision making that resulted, ultimately, in the decision to rescind the selection of the artistic team. We acknowledge that there were, however, a series of missteps, assumptions and missed opportunities, therefore the Board has accepted all the recommendations which will be implemented by Creative Australia.
After careful reflection on the best path forward for 2026, the Board has determined that the original commission of the Artistic Team, Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino, will proceed.
The decision follows a detailed governance process, which has been informed by findings of the external review, conducted by Blackhall & Pearl and commissioned by the Board in response to the events earlier this year.
The Blackhall & Pearl review has shone a valuable light on our processes, and we have learned from that and taken a path that reflects the necessary evaluations and risk analysis recommended by the review.
The decision the Board took in February has weighed heavily on many people, most particularly the artistic team and for that we are sorry.
We are also sorry that this has caused concern and uncertainty for many in the broader arts community and we are committed to rebuilding trust in our processes for the commissioning of the Venice Biennale.
As the external review highlights, Creative Australia’s commissioning of an artistic team to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale stands apart from our grant decision-making processes. It is important to reiterate our commitment to our independent expert led peer assessment and industry advice models.
Our focus is now on moving forward constructively with the Artistic Team.
Creative Australia is focused on learning and strengthening as an organisation. It remains committed to supporting ambitious, challenging, and diverse artistic practice.
The full review is available on our website.
If you have any feedback, please contact us at bpre...@creative.gov.au.
Adrian Collette AM
Chief Executive Officer
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