Federal Government Backs Australian Arts on the World Stage With Diplomacy Fund Grants

Three performing arts organisations have received new funding through the Albanese Government's International Cultural Diplomacy Arts Fund.

The funding, announced by Minister for the Arts Tony Burke, targets projects the government says will strengthen Australia's international cultural standing. The Australian Youth Orchestra, Back to Back Theatre, and the Australian Ballet are the three recipients, each attached to a high-profile engagement abroad.

The Australian Youth Orchestra will use its grant to perform at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, coinciding with the opening of a permanent First Nations Australian art gallery at the institution - a milestone that positions Australian culture, music included, at the centre of a significant moment in the US.

Back to Back Theatre, the Geelong-based disability-led company, will take its work to the 2026 Festival d'Automne in Paris, becoming the first Australian company to be featured as a Portrait Artist at the prestigious event. The Festival d'Automne is one of Europe's most respected contemporary arts festivals, and the designation as a Portrait Artist - typically reserved for a single company given extended, multi-work focus across the program - is a rare honour for any international act.

Finally, the Australian Ballet's funding will support a tour to Berkeley, California and New York City, where it will premiere new work by Australian choreographer Stephanie Lake. Lake has built a significant international profile in recent years, and the US premiere of new work positions both the company and one of the country's most compelling contemporary choreographers before major American audiences.

"The calibre of artists training and working in Australia is up there with some of the best in the world," Burke said. “This funding platforms our talent to the world, allowing the international community to discover what Australia's arts landscape has to offer.”

Specific grant amounts were not disclosed in the announcement.