Albanese government facing calls to launch an independent review into taxpayer-funded arts grants

The Albanese government is facing calls to review taxpayer-funded arts grants over fears they are being used to promote hate and anti-Semitism after a musician called supporters of Israel “scum” and encouraged people to boycott “Zionist” artists.

The Albanese government is facing calls for an independent review into Australia’s taxpayer-funded arts grants over fears they are being used to “promote hate, anti-Semitism, terrorism, or extremist ideologies”.

One of the country’s most prominent Jewish leaders, Jeremy Leibler, has penned a letter to federal Arts Minister Tony Burke to request an independent review into the allocation of taxpayer-funded grants and positions.

It comes after the Herald Sun revealed musician Fred Leone, who receives a taxpayer-funded salary, had called supporters of Israel “c — nts” and “scum” and encouraged people to boycott “Zionist” artists.

And as Creative Australia pulled out of its contract with an artistic team chosen to represent Australia at next year’s Venice Biennale over a 2006 video montage of the September 11 attacks called ‘Thank You Very Much’ by team member, Khaled Sabsabi.

Musician Fred Leone has called supporters of Israel scum. Source: Facebook

Sabsabi had also created a video installation in 2007 with images of slain terrorist leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

The decision to cancel the contract has led to huge backlash in the arts community.

Creative Australia CEO Adrian Collette was grilled over the decision and Leone’s comments at a heated Senate Estimates hearing last night.

“We anticipate always the selection of the Venice artists will be controversial, everyone has a view, but the moment (we viewed Thank You Very Much) there was a recognition by me and the board that this entire process was going to be mired in the worst kind of divisive debate,” Mr Collette said.

He, however, said Leone would not be stripped of his taxpayer funded role, despite describing the social media posts as “dreadful” and “reprehensible”.

Leone was appointed to the Music Australia Council by federal Arts Minister Tony Burke in 2023.

Since then – amid the war in Gaza – the pro-Palestinian artist has published a series of offensive comments online, calling supporters of Israel “half wits”, “Zio scum” and “c — nts”, and accusing “Zionists” of blocking Australian artists from performing.

“So Zionists in Aus hear this clearly,” he wrote.

“We are boycotting you!

“Wave ya flag instead of hiding behind ya money and power.”

Leone encouraged people to boycott ‘Zionist’ artists and called supporters of Israel “scum”.

Mr Leibler, who is the president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, said the senate hearing had put a spotlight on “alarming instances of taxpayer-funded artists openly praising listed terrorist organisations, promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and legitimising violent extremism”.

He welcomed a decision by Creative Australia – the nation’s peak arts body – to launch an independent review into the selection process for the Venice Biennale but said the probe must go further.

“A comprehensive review is needed to scrutinise Creative Australia’s grant allocation processes, selection criteria, and accountability mechanisms to prevent the misuse of taxpayer funds,” he said.

Mr Leibler also called for the government to “cease funding for extremist-aligned projects” to prevent public funds from “supporting individuals or works that promote hate, anti-Semitism, or extremist ideologies”.

Jeremy Leibler has called for a review into the allocation of taxpayer-funded grants and positions. Picture: Yusuke Sato

It comes just weeks after Leone, who is paid $24,540 per year as a Music Australia Council board member, scrubbed the comments from his accounts and pledged to stop sharing his personal views online.

“I acknowledge that we all must week and practice acceptance, and that this might entail sitting in the discomfort of disagreeing upon our political and social positions – yet resisting hateful language and any further division,” he wrote on Instagram.

Leone took to social media on Tuesday, however, to defend himself, denying that he had ever said “a bad word” about Jews.

“The conflation of Zionism and Judasian at this time in history is literally sickening and I have never made any statement against Jewish people in general or Jewish artists EVER!” he said.

Zionist Federation of Australia chief executive Alon Cassuto, who noted Leone had not apologised for the comments, said his position was now “untenable”.

Shadow arts minister, senator Claire Chandler, slammed the Albanese government for failing to remove Leone from the board.

“The Albanese government needs to send a strong message that anti-Semitic behaviour is not acceptable in the community, not acceptable in the arts sector, and especially not acceptable from a taxpayer funded council member appointed by the Minister,” she said.

Mr Burke said: “We cannot let conflicts around the world result in a never ending path of artists being cancelled from the right and the left.”

Leone was contacted for comment.

Originally published as Albanese government facing calls to launch an independent review into taxpayer-funded arts grants