About Us

Established in 1998 with a secretariat in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Australia International Cultural Council (AICC) is Australia's peak consultative group for the promotion of Australian culture overseas. The Council is chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs with the Minister for Environment, Heritage and the Arts and draws together representatives from government, the arts, and cultural community and business with a common interest in more effective international showcasing of Australian arts and culture.

The AICC is one of the Australian Government's most important cultural diplomacy tools. It has several inter-related aims. The AICC uses a wide range of high quality cultural products to project a positive image of Australia and engender a greater understanding of who Australians are and what they believe in. AICC programs seek to engage, inform and influence audiences and to showcase the diversity of Australia's culture and the quality of its cultural output.

At the same time, the Council promotes Australian cultural exports and consolidates institution-to-institution links, thereby encouraging longer-term cooperation and cultural exchange. It also has an important role in promoting greater understanding internationally of Australia's Indigenous cultures.

The Council supports and funds Australian cultural campaigns in priority countries in Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East, North America and Europe. These focus country programs run over several months to two years and involve a wide range of activities. Indonesia is the focus country for 2008

Recent AICC focus country program successes include:

Celebrate Australia 2002 at the Shanghai International Arts Festival, which celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Australia and the People's Republic of China;

an ASEAN program in 2004 celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Australia/ASEAN dialogue partnership;

the oZmosis program in Singapore in 2005 commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Independence;

Undergrowth-Australian Arts UK in 2005-06, a two year multi-faceted arts program;

AusArts India in 2005-06;

Australia as showcase country at the Paris Festival Quartier D'Ete in 2007; and

a year-long program of events in Malaysia in 2007 to mark the 50th anniversary of Malaysian independence.