The Australian Ballet has announced a landmark partnership with award-winning, queer-led education organisation Queer Town, naming it the company’s first official Impact Partner. The two-year collaboration aims to further embed LGBTIQA+ inclusion across the national ballet company and the wider arts sector.
Since 2023, the partnership has already driven meaningful change through staff workshops, leadership consultations, and advisory support on Christopher Wheeldon’s 2024 world premiere Oscar in Melbourne. The organisations also celebrated Wear It Purple Day together, reinforcing their shared commitment to creating safe and inclusive cultural spaces.
Over the next two years, the collaboration will deepen through the rollout of Queer Town’s LGBTIQA+ 101 e-learning program for all staff, as well as Allyship in Action workshops designed to strengthen inclusive practice both on and off stage.
Artistic Director David Hallberg said: “As one of the country’s leading cultural institutions, already recognised as a leader in advancing inclusion within the arts, The Australian Ballet has a responsibility to model what meaningful inclusion looks like. By partnering with Queer Town, we are extending work already underway and showing what’s possible for the wider arts sector. This is how ballet continues to thrive: by reflecting the breadth of our community and creating space for every story to be told.”
He added: “This partnership with Queer Town is not just symbolic, it is transformative. Ballet as an art form is ever evolving, and so must we. Inclusion is not an add-on; it is foundational.”
Queer Town Founder and CEO Archie Beetle said: “Our mission at Queer Town is ending LGBTIQA+ discrimination together, and this partnership with The Australian Ballet allows us to do that work on a cultural level, helping create spaces where LGBTIQA+ people feel safe, seen and valued.”
“We’re honoured to be working with The Australian Ballet to continue to evolve inclusive practice while honouring the artform’s traditions. It’s exciting to consider the long-term impact this could have, not only for the Ballet, but for the wider arts community and the LGBTIQA+ people within it,” Beetle added.
The partnership reflects a growing commitment within the arts to ensure that diversity and inclusion are not just policies, but lived experiences. Together, The Australian Ballet and Queer Town will review internal practices, expand education programs, and build on existing progress to create lasting cultural change.
By uniting the strength of a national institution with the expertise of a community-led organisation, the collaboration signals an important step forward in ensuring Australia’s creative spaces are places where everyone can belong.
For more information, visit australianballet.com.au and queertown.com.au