Creative Futures Fund Unveils $7.8 Million Investment in 20 Bold Australian Arts Projects

Creative Australia has announced the inaugural recipients of its Creative Futures Fund, a groundbreaking initiative investing $7.8 million in 20 large-scale, visionary projects that reflect the diversity, depth, and ambition of Australia's contemporary creative landscape.

An initiative of the Australian Government’s Revive: National Cultural Policy, the Creative Futures Fund supports bold storytelling across disciplines — including theatre, music, fashion, science, sport, and beyond — with an emphasis on projects that harness cross-sector partnerships and reimagine how Australians engage with the arts.

“This is an investment in imagination,” said Alice Nash, Executive Director of Arts Investment. “It will support the telling of unique Australian stories that cross generations, industries, and borders, while remaining deeply local.”

Among the standout projects:

• Strong Is the New Pretty, a powerful new play by Prima Facie playwright Suzie Miller, explores the rise of AFL Women’s League and Australia’s sporting identity. Presented by Brisbane Festival in partnership with Sydney Theatre Company and Trish Wadley Productions.

• Shaun Tan’s Tales from the Inner City receives a large-scale urban adaptation, transforming Perth’s CBD into a surreal adventure exploring our relationship with animals and the natural world.

• Songs and Stories of lutruwita/Tasmania, a landmark musical project in palawa language, featuring artist Dewayne Everettsmith with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. The work will culminate in a major outdoor event at Ten Days on the Island Festival.

• The Pageant, a celebration of older Australians via glamorous fashion runway shows touring the nation, produced by All The Queens Men in partnership with Harper’s Bazaar and Perth Festival.

• When the World Was Soft, an awe-inspiring puppet spectacle from Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation, brings ancient Yindjibarndi stories to life through giant puppets created in the Pilbara and toured nationally.

• Hobartica, an immersive art-science project positioning Hobart as the gateway to Antarctica, developed by Beaker Street in collaboration with CSIRO and the University of Tasmania.

In addition to these delivery-stage projects, 14 other organisations received development funding to research, adapt, and incubate bold new ideas. This dual-stream investment approach ensures immediate cultural output while seeding future works of impact.

Wendy Martin, Director of the Creative Futures Fund, added: “From roller derby to undersea explorations, this extraordinary collection of work offers a glimpse of what’s possible when we invest in our creative future. These projects will resonate locally and globally.”

The fund will also support a national convening of subsidised and commercial theatre producers later this year — hosted via the Consortium of Australian State Theatres — to encourage new theatrical collaborations and long-term impact.

For a full list of projects supported by the Creative Futures Fund, visit creative.gov.au.