‘Terrified’ Queensland Ballet dancers escalate plea for federal funding
Dancers at Queensland Ballet have appealed directly to audiences after 27 job cuts and a $9.4m deficit, urging the federal government to lift support for the company in line with its better-funded peers.
Queensland Ballet dancers have taken their funding fight directly to audiences, warning that the company’s future is at risk in the wake of job cuts and a multimillion-dollar deficit.
At the curtain call of The Nutcracker’s opening night at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre on Saturday, soloist Georgia Swan stepped forward before a full house and asked audience members to sign a petition calling on the federal House of Representatives to lift support for ballet in line with other major performing arts companies. The evening’s program included a QR code directing audiences to the petition.
“Despite over 60 years of success and the tireless efforts of our leadership team, we remain significantly underfunded compared with our industry peers,” said Swan, backed by her colleagues on stage. “This company is my family, and I am truly terrified about what may happen for us, and for Queensland, if we cannot secure a better funding outcome.”
The petition, branded #ParityIsThePointe, follows the loss of 27 jobs, including eight dancers, as the company confronts a deficit of about $9.45m. Management has warned that further job losses are possible and that future pay rises may need to be capped at 1.34 per cent a year.
Swan told audiences that dancers’ salaries have fallen 6.8 per cent behind the consumer price index since 2020, and that only two dancers are forecast to earn above the national average wage in 2026. “Our 12 youngest dancers will be on the minimum wage,” she said. “It is heartbreaking to see dancers reach the peak of this short career with very little to their names.”
Swan said the company hopes to gather at least 20,000 signatures on the petition.
Queensland Ballet’s federal funding remains markedly below that of its peers. In 2025 it received $873,440, compared with $7m for the Australian Ballet. The Queensland Symphony Orchestra received $9.1m – roughly 10 times Queensland Ballet’s allocation – even though both are considered flagship Queensland companies with permanent ensembles. State government support for the two is similar, meaning the bulk of the disparity sits at federal level.
“The disparity is loud,” Queensland Ballet executive director Dilshani Weerasinghe told The Australian last week. “We absolutely adore QSO … but every day we wake up to an $8m difference. That is mind-boggling.”
In 2024 the Queensland government awarded Queensland Ballet $3.321m through an arts grant, with a further $1.238m coming from state departments including health and education. But following the deaths of several significant donors, the company still recorded a $9.4m loss.
A spokesman for Creative Australia told The Australian last week its investment in the 39 companies funded under the National Performing Arts Partnership “reflects decisions made jointly by states and territories and the commonwealth”.
“Direct comparisons between individual companies are not a meaningful way to understand investment levels, as each organisation is supported through a mix of commonwealth and state or territory investment and have different operating models and activities,” he said.
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