From Schwartz Media. I'm Ruby Jones. This is seven am. When the country's peak arts body, Creative Australia, decided to dump Australia's representative at the Venice Biinali. It's set in motion and existential crisis for the arts. The artist in question, carloor T Subsabi, was removed from the role just days after his appointment, following an article in a news Corp newspaper, a set of opposition questions in the Senate and a
phone call from the Arts Minister Tony Burke. Now the boss of Creative Australia has faced questions about why he made the decision he did and whether there was ministerial interference. Today, chief political correspondent for a Saturday paper, Karen Bullow on the controversy at Creative Australia and what it means for artistic freedom. It's Thursday, February twenty seven. So Karen, let's
begin in the Senate two weeks ago. Now, there was this very interesting hearing that really set this story in motion. So tell me about it.
Yeah, So this has been a massive controversy for the arts, but it all goes back to this really intense moment in Senate question time on the last we believe to be the last question time before the election, we have the Tasmanian Conservative Liberal Senator Claire Chandler.
Minister, Senator Chandler, thank you President.
She's someone who's was previously known for campaigning against trans people in women's sport. She's got this arts portfolio, something that she got in the very recent opposition reshuffle, and she's aiming for a hit and she gets it.
My question is to the minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. The Australian government funded organization Creative Australia has announced that Khaled Sabsabi will be Australia's artistic representative to the Venice Biennali. Mister Subsabi features the dead Hezbala terrorist leader Nazreela in his artworks, with such appalling anti semitism
in our country. Why is the Abenese government allowing a person who highlights a terrorist leader in his artwork to represent Australia on the international stage at the Venice Bienali.
Excellent, thank you, Senator Chamber. Minister will So.
Where Senator Chandler got this information was a column was published the day before in The Australian this appointment had been highlighted, in particular the past work of Khaled Subsabi and Penny Wong is blind sided by this question.
Border Border Senator. I wasn't aware of this until you asked me, and we'll get advice and I share your concerns about Hbella.
And Karen the Venice Binali. That's an important event. Last year Australia actually won the Goldline Award at the Bnali. So being chosen for that role as Australia's representative is a big moment for any artist. But tell me about Karled Subsabi.
My name is Karaled Subsabi. My practice is made up for many things and that's progressed over.
He is renowned as being the first person of Islamic faith to win the Blake Prize for Religious art, and that was a very big deal at the time. He was born in Lebanon. He came to Australia escaping the Civil War in nineteen seventy eight. He is someone who looks into themes around Arab culture, dislocation and migration in his work.
A lot of people almost missed the point of my artwork or the essence of what I'm saying in my artwork, because my work's been called extremist in the past and all sorts of things. Yeah, my artwork essentially is about humanity and commonality.
So there's two works that have caused the greatest controversy. The work You is a video installation showing the now assassinated Hesbelalida with light shining through his face and hands. This is in the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. And then there is the two thousand and six work thank You very Much, which shows thee the awful impact images from nine to eleven and it shows the then President George W. Bush right at the
end saying the phrase thank you very much. And it turns out that the piece thank You very Much is the piece that has most concerned the Arts Minister, and it was the work that the head of Creative Australia, Adrian Collette, was unaware of until it was brought up by Claire Chainler in senate question time.
Okay, so the controversy begins and it's around his previous work, not his current work. News Corp runs an article about it. Chandler gets up at question Time and starts asking these questions. What happens next.
The wheels moved very quickly. We have a question that is asked at around two thirty five in the afternoon. Immediately after question Time, the Public Affairs area of Creative Australia immediately contacting Adrian Collette. This is somehow also being transmitted to the Arts Minister Tony Burke in the house. Within an hour, Tony Burke, as soon as he gets out of question Time, is calling Adrian Collette to find out essentially what the hell to find out about these
artworks that he was not made aware of previously. In that phone call, Adrian Collette informs the Arts Minister that the board has already decided to meet to immediately discuss the appointment of them for the B and Aali Next thing we know, according to Adrian Collette, about four point thirty in the afternoon, the artist is made aware that
the board is being gathered to discuss this urgently. Six o'clock the board members gather apart from one Larissa Brent, who is unavailable and is away, and then within an hour it's all over. The decision is made unanimously in a very difficult board meeting. A little bit later, about nine point thirty, A very short statement goes out to inform the world that the appointment is no more and then opens a greater controversy.
Coming up after the break the phone call between the boss of Creative Australia and the Arts Minister. Karen, you've said that the Arts Minister, Tony Burke, as soon as he gets out of Question Time, calls the head of Creative Australia, Adrian Collette. So tell me how much more do we know about that phone call and what was said.
Yeah, so there's a lot of interest in this phone call that happened straight after question Time. We don't know the full context and information in that conversation. There is much discussion in the art world that perhaps some undue pressure is put there. But Tony Burke says in his interview on seven point thirty that when he spoke to Adrian Collette, it was immediately made clear to him that the board had already decided to meet over this that day.
Did you give him any instruction or give him any sense of your view of the decision in that conversation.
I was very clear with him. I made clear to Adrian Collette, who I've known for more than a decade.
I said to him, if you just.
Whichever whatever do you decide, I will support you and I will support Creative Australia. I was very clear in that the Minister, who has only done a little bit of media post this decision, has insisted that he's at arm's length and that's what the legislation that sets up Creative Australia insists that there is an arms length process on decisions between the Minister and the body itself. But there's still question marks. We know that the Arts Minister
is very personally invested in the arts portfolio. He's had that portfolio in the Rudd Gillard years. He's personally insisted to the Prime Minister that you keep this portfolio, despite the that the reshuffle last year he was brought into Home Affairs to essentially shut down the controversies that were continuing prior to him getting the portfolio. I think you know, when he got Arts, much discussion was well how does
that fit? And you know, it's kind of interesting the way that it's turned out that there is this national security bent now to this discussion in the arts. So this will be something that personally stings him, and there is this whole view that in trying to shut down this controversy, it's created a bigger one and that Australia is looking terrible on the international stage.
Can we talk a little more about Creative Australia, because as you say, it sounds like this board meeting was very tense, very difficult, and it's clear that there is a lot of unease within Creative Australia around that decision. Now, so tell me a bit more about the fallout.
So immediately after the board meeting, there is a series of resignations. We had a resignation from board member Lindy Lee, who is an artist, a renowned Australian artist, and she expressed how difficult the board meeting was, but she was unable to talk further about it due to confidentiality. There are a number of senior positions in Creative Australia who also felt that they had to go. And then we've started to see a number of significant people in the
arts community complain about what has transpired. But it's been noted to me that it's not really something that the bigger institutions have stood up and said anything about this is something that has been left to large figures such as Lizanne McGregor, who is a former director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. She's stood up and discussed how chilling this whole event has been for the
entire arts community. People in the arts community say this will mean that going forward, people will have to look at the backgrounds of everyone at every past piece of work, so people may not put themselves forward for example, or people will be more careful about what they do and express themselves. And liz Ane McGregor, she tells me she's getting emails calls from all over the world asking what a stratire is doing considering its reputation for fostering the.
Arts, and what about the artist? What about Karled Subsabi? What has he said about where this has left him.
We've only had a couple of statements from Khaled Subsabi and Michael Dagostino. They're united as this artistic team. They are asking for privacy while acknowledging thanks for the support from the artistic and wider community for their work. They are deeply disturbed, both professionally and personally by this decision.
They're deeply shocked going forward.
Also the question about the future of Creative Australia and Collette. He was asked whether he would resign and he said no, he would not. The chair Robert Morgan also was asked whether he would resign and he said no. Asked also about an apology for the artists. Well, this is now in the hands of lawyers and publicly there is no apology from Creative Australia to the artists. Ultimately, it looks like the bin Aali Pavilion will be empty in twenty twenty six.
Karen, thank you so much for your time.
Thank you.
Also in the news today, Ukraine and the United States have agreed to the terms of a deal which we'll see the two countries jointly develop Ukraine's critical minerals industry. Ukraine has an estimated sixteen trillion dollars worth of the minerals, much of it in Russian occupied territory where fighting is ongoing.
President Trump has said the deal will compensate for the billions of dollars in US support since the start of the Russia Ukraine War, and the Prime Minister has announced an increase in federal funding to help deliver the Melbourne Airport rail link, bringing the Abeneze government's total funding commitment to seven billion dollars. The project is designed to operate via Sunshine Station, where Anthony Albanezi says the additional two billion would help create a new rail hub. I'm Ruby Jones.
This is seven AM and I'll be back tomorrow with Politzer Prize winning writer Geraldine Brooks talking about Anthony Albanesi's hopes of re election.
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