The Australia Council Board of Creative Australia has appointed governance advisory firm Blackhall and Pearl to conduct the review into the governance and decision-making process for the Venice Biennale 2026.
The terms of reference for the review are to:
- Review the governance and decision-making processes and procedures undertaken by Creative Australia, including its Board, by which the artistic team was selected to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale 2026 and associated decisions.
- Review the relevant policies, processes and procedures related to the end-to-end selection process for the Venice Biennale 2026.
In undertaking the review, the consultant will focus on:
- Developing constructive, practical recommendations for the Board and management to ensure robust policies, processes and systems are in place for future selection processes.
- Identifying any interpretations, misunderstandings or failings in the approach taken; and
- Identifying any gaps or weaknesses in the underlying governance, discovery, risk, and decision-making processes that contributed to the approach taken.
The review will be conducted over the coming months. The Report findings will be made available to the Australia Council Board of Creative Australia upon completion of the review. The Board will then consider the findings and share the outcomes.
Blackhall and Pearl is a specialist provider of governance and risk advice to Boards across Australia, including government agencies, listed companies, superannuation funds and national not-for-profit, community, and member-based organisations.
The scope of Blackhall and Pearl's review does not extend beyond the terms of reference. It will consider, as far as practicable, the perspectives of all those with a material role in the governance and decision making.
