Long-awaited probe into dumped Biennale artists lands
A review of the selection process for Australia's dumped Venice Biennale team has been handed to the federal government's peak arts body.
Creative Australia commissioned the review following uproar in the arts world over the dumping of artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino.
The pair had been announced in February as the nation's picks for the Venice Biennale, contemporary art's most prestigious event.
But they were rapidly disinvited when some of Sabsabi's early work, which referenced terrorism, was raised in federal parliament, and a last-minute meeting of the Creative Australia board quickly overturned the selection.
More than 4000 people, including some of Australia's most respected artists, have since called for Sabsabi and Dagostino to be reinstated.
Creative Australia announced the appointment of consultants Blackhall & Pearl in March, however their terms of reference did not explicitly require scrutiny of how Sabsabi and Dagostino were dumped.
In a statement issued late on Wednesday, Creative Australia said its board had received a copy of the review and was carefully considering the findings.
"The board is committed to transparency and intends to release the report in full once it has reviewed its contents and is in a position to formally respond to the recommendations," the arts agency said in a statement.
At a Senate estimates hearing examining the controversy in February, Creative Australia chief executive Adrian Colette said the review of the biennale selection process would be critical in rebuilding confidence and should not take more than a few weeks.
He repeatedly told the hearing a selection process to replace the art team "will have to happen in parallel" to the external review.
But in the months since the review was launched, there has been no sign of a formal process to find a replacement team to send to the Biennale.
That raises the likelihood Australia's official pavilion at the event will stand empty a year after the nation won the Biennale's prestigious Golden Lion for the first time.
Creative Australia initially rescinded its invitation to Sabsabi and Dagostino on the grounds it would cause a prolonged and divisive debate and that it posed an unacceptable risk to public support for Australia's artistic community.
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Vance stirs the pot in California, after a tense week
Vice President JD Vance has used an appearance in Los Angeles to renew criticism of the city's officials over violent unrest there, and rebut claims that it was fuelled by the Trump administration sending in federal officers. Vance also referred to US Senator Alex Padilla, the state's first Latino senator, as 'Jose Padilla,' a week after the Democrat was forcibly tackled and handcuffed by officers for speaking out during a news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. "I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question," Vance said, in an apparent reference to the altercation at Noem's event. "I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't a theatre." In a statement on X, California Governor Gavin Newsom responded to Vance's reference to "Jose Padilla," saying the comment was no accident. Jose Padilla also is the name of a convicted al-Qaida terrorism plotter during President George W Bush's administration, who was sentenced to two decades in prison. A spokesperson for Padilla, Tess Oswald, noted in a social media post that Padilla and Vance were formerly colleagues in the Senate and that Vance should know better. "He should be more focused on demilitarising our city than taking cheap shots," Oswald said. Responding to the outrage, Taylor Van Kirk, a spokesperson for Vance, said of the vice president: "He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law." Vance's visit to Los Angeles to tour a multi-agency Federal Joint Operations Centre and a mobile command centre came as demonstrations calmed down in the city and a curfew was lifted this week. Vance echoed the president's harsh rhetoric toward California Democrats as he sought to blame them for the protests in the city. "Gavin Newsom and (Los Angeles Mayor) Karen Bass, by treating the city as a sanctuary city, have basically said that this is open season on federal law enforcement," Vance said after he toured federal immigration enforcement offices. "What happened here was a tragedy," Vance added. "You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law and they had rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder for them to do their job. That is disgraceful.' Newsom's spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement, "The Vice President's claim is categorically false. The governor has consistently condemned violence and has made his stance clear." At City Hall, Bass said Vance was "spewing lies and utter nonsense." She said hundreds of millions of dollars were wasted by the federal government on a "stunt." The friction in Los Angeles began June 6, when federal agents conducted a series of immigration sweeps in the region that have continued since. Amid the protests and over the objections of state and local officials, Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city. Trump has said that without the military's involvement, Los Angeles "would be a crime scene like we haven't seen in years." Earlier Friday, Newsom urged Vance to visit victims of the deadly January wildfires while in Southern California and talk with Trump, who earlier this week suggested his feud with the governor might influence his consideration of $40 billion in federal wildfire aid for California. "I hope we get that back on track," Newsom wrote on X. "We are counting on you, Mr Vice President." Vice President JD Vance has used an appearance in Los Angeles to renew criticism of the city's officials over violent unrest there, and rebut claims that it was fuelled by the Trump administration sending in federal officers. Vance also referred to US Senator Alex Padilla, the state's first Latino senator, as 'Jose Padilla,' a week after the Democrat was forcibly tackled and handcuffed by officers for speaking out during a news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. "I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question," Vance said, in an apparent reference to the altercation at Noem's event. "I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't a theatre." In a statement on X, California Governor Gavin Newsom responded to Vance's reference to "Jose Padilla," saying the comment was no accident. Jose Padilla also is the name of a convicted al-Qaida terrorism plotter during President George W Bush's administration, who was sentenced to two decades in prison. A spokesperson for Padilla, Tess Oswald, noted in a social media post that Padilla and Vance were formerly colleagues in the Senate and that Vance should know better. "He should be more focused on demilitarising our city than taking cheap shots," Oswald said. Responding to the outrage, Taylor Van Kirk, a spokesperson for Vance, said of the vice president: "He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law." Vance's visit to Los Angeles to tour a multi-agency Federal Joint Operations Centre and a mobile command centre came as demonstrations calmed down in the city and a curfew was lifted this week. Vance echoed the president's harsh rhetoric toward California Democrats as he sought to blame them for the protests in the city. "Gavin Newsom and (Los Angeles Mayor) Karen Bass, by treating the city as a sanctuary city, have basically said that this is open season on federal law enforcement," Vance said after he toured federal immigration enforcement offices. "What happened here was a tragedy," Vance added. "You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law and they had rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder for them to do their job. That is disgraceful.' Newsom's spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement, "The Vice President's claim is categorically false. The governor has consistently condemned violence and has made his stance clear." At City Hall, Bass said Vance was "spewing lies and utter nonsense." She said hundreds of millions of dollars were wasted by the federal government on a "stunt." The friction in Los Angeles began June 6, when federal agents conducted a series of immigration sweeps in the region that have continued since. Amid the protests and over the objections of state and local officials, Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city. Trump has said that without the military's involvement, Los Angeles "would be a crime scene like we haven't seen in years." Earlier Friday, Newsom urged Vance to visit victims of the deadly January wildfires while in Southern California and talk with Trump, who earlier this week suggested his feud with the governor might influence his consideration of $40 billion in federal wildfire aid for California. "I hope we get that back on track," Newsom wrote on X. "We are counting on you, Mr Vice President." Vice President JD Vance has used an appearance in Los Angeles to renew criticism of the city's officials over violent unrest there, and rebut claims that it was fuelled by the Trump administration sending in federal officers. Vance also referred to US Senator Alex Padilla, the state's first Latino senator, as 'Jose Padilla,' a week after the Democrat was forcibly tackled and handcuffed by officers for speaking out during a news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. "I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question," Vance said, in an apparent reference to the altercation at Noem's event. "I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't a theatre." In a statement on X, California Governor Gavin Newsom responded to Vance's reference to "Jose Padilla," saying the comment was no accident. Jose Padilla also is the name of a convicted al-Qaida terrorism plotter during President George W Bush's administration, who was sentenced to two decades in prison. A spokesperson for Padilla, Tess Oswald, noted in a social media post that Padilla and Vance were formerly colleagues in the Senate and that Vance should know better. "He should be more focused on demilitarising our city than taking cheap shots," Oswald said. Responding to the outrage, Taylor Van Kirk, a spokesperson for Vance, said of the vice president: "He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law." Vance's visit to Los Angeles to tour a multi-agency Federal Joint Operations Centre and a mobile command centre came as demonstrations calmed down in the city and a curfew was lifted this week. Vance echoed the president's harsh rhetoric toward California Democrats as he sought to blame them for the protests in the city. "Gavin Newsom and (Los Angeles Mayor) Karen Bass, by treating the city as a sanctuary city, have basically said that this is open season on federal law enforcement," Vance said after he toured federal immigration enforcement offices. "What happened here was a tragedy," Vance added. "You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law and they had rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder for them to do their job. That is disgraceful.' Newsom's spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement, "The Vice President's claim is categorically false. The governor has consistently condemned violence and has made his stance clear." At City Hall, Bass said Vance was "spewing lies and utter nonsense." She said hundreds of millions of dollars were wasted by the federal government on a "stunt." The friction in Los Angeles began June 6, when federal agents conducted a series of immigration sweeps in the region that have continued since. Amid the protests and over the objections of state and local officials, Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city. Trump has said that without the military's involvement, Los Angeles "would be a crime scene like we haven't seen in years." Earlier Friday, Newsom urged Vance to visit victims of the deadly January wildfires while in Southern California and talk with Trump, who earlier this week suggested his feud with the governor might influence his consideration of $40 billion in federal wildfire aid for California. "I hope we get that back on track," Newsom wrote on X. "We are counting on you, Mr Vice President." Vice President JD Vance has used an appearance in Los Angeles to renew criticism of the city's officials over violent unrest there, and rebut claims that it was fuelled by the Trump administration sending in federal officers. Vance also referred to US Senator Alex Padilla, the state's first Latino senator, as 'Jose Padilla,' a week after the Democrat was forcibly tackled and handcuffed by officers for speaking out during a news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. "I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question," Vance said, in an apparent reference to the altercation at Noem's event. "I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't a theatre." In a statement on X, California Governor Gavin Newsom responded to Vance's reference to "Jose Padilla," saying the comment was no accident. Jose Padilla also is the name of a convicted al-Qaida terrorism plotter during President George W Bush's administration, who was sentenced to two decades in prison. A spokesperson for Padilla, Tess Oswald, noted in a social media post that Padilla and Vance were formerly colleagues in the Senate and that Vance should know better. "He should be more focused on demilitarising our city than taking cheap shots," Oswald said. Responding to the outrage, Taylor Van Kirk, a spokesperson for Vance, said of the vice president: "He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law." Vance's visit to Los Angeles to tour a multi-agency Federal Joint Operations Centre and a mobile command centre came as demonstrations calmed down in the city and a curfew was lifted this week. Vance echoed the president's harsh rhetoric toward California Democrats as he sought to blame them for the protests in the city. "Gavin Newsom and (Los Angeles Mayor) Karen Bass, by treating the city as a sanctuary city, have basically said that this is open season on federal law enforcement," Vance said after he toured federal immigration enforcement offices. "What happened here was a tragedy," Vance added. "You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law and they had rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder for them to do their job. That is disgraceful.' Newsom's spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement, "The Vice President's claim is categorically false. The governor has consistently condemned violence and has made his stance clear." At City Hall, Bass said Vance was "spewing lies and utter nonsense." She said hundreds of millions of dollars were wasted by the federal government on a "stunt." The friction in Los Angeles began June 6, when federal agents conducted a series of immigration sweeps in the region that have continued since. Amid the protests and over the objections of state and local officials, Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city. Trump has said that without the military's involvement, Los Angeles "would be a crime scene like we haven't seen in years." Earlier Friday, Newsom urged Vance to visit victims of the deadly January wildfires while in Southern California and talk with Trump, who earlier this week suggested his feud with the governor might influence his consideration of $40 billion in federal wildfire aid for California. "I hope we get that back on track," Newsom wrote on X. "We are counting on you, Mr Vice President."
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
Vance stirs the pot in California, after a tense week
Vice President JD Vance has used an appearance in Los Angeles to renew criticism of the city's officials over violent unrest there, and rebut claims that it was fuelled by the Trump administration sending in federal officers. Vance also referred to US Senator Alex Padilla, the state's first Latino senator, as 'Jose Padilla,' a week after the Democrat was forcibly tackled and handcuffed by officers for speaking out during a news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. "I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question," Vance said, in an apparent reference to the altercation at Noem's event. "I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't a theatre." In a statement on X, California Governor Gavin Newsom responded to Vance's reference to "Jose Padilla," saying the comment was no accident. Jose Padilla also is the name of a convicted al-Qaida terrorism plotter during President George W Bush's administration, who was sentenced to two decades in prison. A spokesperson for Padilla, Tess Oswald, noted in a social media post that Padilla and Vance were formerly colleagues in the Senate and that Vance should know better. "He should be more focused on demilitarising our city than taking cheap shots," Oswald said. Responding to the outrage, Taylor Van Kirk, a spokesperson for Vance, said of the vice president: "He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law." Vance's visit to Los Angeles to tour a multi-agency Federal Joint Operations Centre and a mobile command centre came as demonstrations calmed down in the city and a curfew was lifted this week. Vance echoed the president's harsh rhetoric toward California Democrats as he sought to blame them for the protests in the city. "Gavin Newsom and (Los Angeles Mayor) Karen Bass, by treating the city as a sanctuary city, have basically said that this is open season on federal law enforcement," Vance said after he toured federal immigration enforcement offices. "What happened here was a tragedy," Vance added. "You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law and they had rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder for them to do their job. That is disgraceful.' Newsom's spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement, "The Vice President's claim is categorically false. The governor has consistently condemned violence and has made his stance clear." At City Hall, Bass said Vance was "spewing lies and utter nonsense." She said hundreds of millions of dollars were wasted by the federal government on a "stunt." The friction in Los Angeles began June 6, when federal agents conducted a series of immigration sweeps in the region that have continued since. Amid the protests and over the objections of state and local officials, Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the city. Trump has said that without the military's involvement, Los Angeles "would be a crime scene like we haven't seen in years." Earlier Friday, Newsom urged Vance to visit victims of the deadly January wildfires while in Southern California and talk with Trump, who earlier this week suggested his feud with the governor might influence his consideration of $40 billion in federal wildfire aid for California. "I hope we get that back on track," Newsom wrote on X. "We are counting on you, Mr Vice President."
7NEWS
2 days ago
- 7NEWS
Hospital and water reactor struck as Israel and Iran trade blows
The largest hospital in southern Israel has been struck by an Iranian ballistic missile that sent patients and staff into a frenzied evacuation. The medical centre and surrounding apartment buildings in the city of Be'er Sheva has sustained damage, officials in the country said. 'We are currently assessing the damage, including injuries,' said a spokesperson for Soroka Medical Center, which is described as one of the country's leading health facilities, reported CNN. 'We ask that you not come to the hospital now.' The spokesperson said there was 'extensive damage in various areas'. Israel described the hit as coming from an 'indiscriminate Iranian ballistic missile', and search and rescue teams have been sent to the affected sites. It came as Israel acted on a warning that it would attack Iran's Arak heavy water reactor. A report on Iranian state television said there was 'no radiation danger whatsoever' and the facility had already been evacuated before the attack. The Arak heavy water reactor is 250km southwest of Tehran. Heavy water helps cool nuclear reactors, but it produces plutonium as a byproduct that can potentially be used in nuclear weapons. Iran agreed under its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to redesign the facility to relieve proliferation concerns. The International Atomic Energy Agency has been urging Israel not to strike Iranian nuclear sites. Israel's airstrike campaign has targeted Iran's enrichment site at Natanz, centrifuge workshops around Tehran and a nuclear site in Isfahan. The latest attacks came as US President Donald Trump kept the world guessing about his response. Trump told reporters he will not say whether he has decided to order a US strike on Iran, a move that Iranian officials warned anew would be greeted with stiff retaliation if it happens. 'I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do,' he said outside the White House. Trump said Iranian officials had reached out about negotiations, including a possible meeting at the White House but 'it's very late to be talking', he said. 'Unconditional surrender, that means I've had it.' Asked for his response to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejecting the idea of surrendering, Trump said: 'I say, good luck.' Trump has veered from proposing a swift diplomatic end to days-long war to suggesting the US might join it. A source familiar with internal discussions said Trump and his team were considering options that included joining Israel in strikes against Iranian nuclear installations. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate committee that the Pentagon was prepared to execute any order given by Trump. 'We will continue to strike' People jammed highways out of the capital Tehran, a city of 10 million people, as residents sought sanctuary from intensified Israeli air strikes. Israel's military said 50 Israeli jets struck about 20 targets in Tehran overnight, including sites producing raw materials, components and manufacturing systems for missiles. It advised Iranians to leave parts of Tehran for their own safety while it bombed targets. 'As we promised — we will continue to strike at symbols of governance and hit the ayatollah regime wherever it may be,' Israel Defence Minister Israel Katz said. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 639 people and wounded 1329 others, according to Washington-based group Human Rights Activists.
