The embattled head of Creative Australia has been served with two letters of complaint collectively written by staff, and a third signed by more than 600 Australian literary figures.
The fallout over Creative Australia’s decision in February to withdraw the artistic team of Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino from next year’s Venice Biennale continues, with its chief executive, Adrian Collette, now on leave and an inquiry under way into the circumstances surrounding the selection and subsequent sacking of the pair as Australia’s representatives.
More than 40 Creative Australia staff – about half anonymously – signed a letter sent to Collette late last month, saying the organisation had displayed “deficiencies in leadership” including a “lack of transparency, ineffective decision making and mismanagement of the [Sabsabi-Dagostino] situation”.
Workplace culture and safety had been eroded to the point where staff and artists feared “discrimination and victimisation based on political, religious or cultural backgrounds”, the letter continued, creating what they called an “unworkable environment”.
“We believe that the current leadership has not acted in the best interest of Creative Australia, its staff or the artists it serves. This letter serves as a clear and unequivocal statement of our complete lack of confidence in your ability to lead this organisation effectively.”
Collette responded to staff last week, saying he recognised the disappointment and distress they had experienced over the rescinding of the artistic duo’s Venice contract, and that he had discussed the letter with the board and his executive colleagues.
He went on to urge all staff to take part in the independent review being conducted by outside governance and risk management firm Blackhall & Pearl, which would examine “the processes leading to the commission and its subsequent rescission”.
Previous interpretations of the inquiry’s terms of reference had led many staff and the public to believe only the selection process – not the board’s decision to overturn the advisory panel’s selection – would be investigated.
A Creative Australia spokesperson clarified this on Wednesday.
“The review won’t take a view on whether the decision to appoint the artistic team was right or wrong, or whether the decision to rescind the commission was right or wrong,” they said.
“However, it may identify areas for improvement in how we make ongoing and future decisions about the Venice Biennale.”
Collette’s letter to staff prompted a second letter in response, saying some employees had expressed concerns regarding safety and security over participating in the inquiry, and about what repercussions that might have on their future employment.
The response demanded a representative of the Community and Public Sector Union be included in the process, as well as the appointment of a cultural mediator.
Creative Australia told Guardian Australia it remained committed to promoting a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace.
“We acknowledge some staff have expressed concerns, and we continue to maintain an open dialogue,” the statement said.
“Consistent with the published terms of reference, as stated publicly and in communication with staff, [the Blackhall & Pearl review] includes consideration of the governance processes that led to the commission and its subsequent withdrawal.”
The chief executive also responded to a published letter signed by some of the Australia’s most recognised writers, publishers and academics, including JM Coetzee, Omar Sakr, Charlotte Wood, Michelle de Kretser, Melissa Lucashenko, Anita Heiss, Michael Robotham and Hilary McPhee.
The letter accused the board of compromising Creative Australia’s integrity and demonstrating its bias by stating it sought to avoid “prolonged and divisive debate” after a misrepresentation of Sabsabi video works made almost 20 years ago, made “by a right-wing media outlet”.
“The implications of political censorship for artists working in all sectors including literature are enormous: not only can we be damned for work made decades ago; we can also be dismissed for work we have yet to create,” the letter said.
In Collette’s response, he restated what he gave in evidence at a Senate estimates hearing on 25 February.
The selection process had “fallen short” he wrote, but “had not failed on artistic grounds”.
“Art has always occupied the complex and often uncomfortable space where competing perspectives and social pressures intersect,” he said.
Maintaining social cohesion was a national priority, he added, and the board made the call to rescind the commission because it was at “significant risk” due to public debate and scrutiny surrounding some of Sabsabi’s previous works.
The open letter said the board’s decision to pull the commission was evidence of increasing discrimination against Australian writers of Arabic, Muslim and West Asian heritage.
“It aligns with a long history of censure levelled against artists from other minority groups when creating work that interrogates power,” it said. “We are frightened that more artists will lose opportunities based on prejudice, robbing the general public of powerful, affecting work.”
Collette said Creative Australia condemned any form of racism or discrimination.
“[We] reaffirm out commitment to fostering an arts sector that is inclusive, respectful and reflective of the diverse voices that shape contemporary Australia,” he said.
