The top-tier arts Australia Day Honours unquestionably favour wealthy benefactors and board members of major arts organisations – and this year is no exception. While it is important that working artists, grassroots and community arts and Indigenous cultural leaders are recognised, the data shows that when recognised in the nation’s highest recognition for outstanding achievement and service, these honourees are typically recognised in the lower tiers.
Also in Australia, new research raises the alarm that Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant largely ignores Australia journalism in favour of American and European mastheads – even when the news prompts are about Australia. It is a concerning revelation for the financial survival of independent news voices already squeezed by media concentration and the shift to online ad spending. It is also a threat to our democracy.
Further afield, another 2026 Venice Biennale exhibition has been derailed by political interference disguised by claims of “divisiveness”. The cancelled South African 2026 Venice Biennale artist Gabrielle Goliath is taking the matter to the country’s High Court claiming the Arts Minister's cancellation of their invitation to exhibit is unconstitutional. It is another instance of the politicisation of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict to shut down artistic voices; exactly what saw the tumultuous cancellation of the Adelaide Writers’ Week just two weeks ago!
Also: Writing Australia announces funding and delivery partners, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses has been hit with a patent infringement case and Cusor has built a shit web browser using ChatGPT.
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Here's WTF happened this week:
Board members and benefactors take top honours in the 2026 Australia Day Honours
In terms of honourees recognised for their service to the arts it was wealthy arts benefactors that were appointed to the top tiers of the 2026 Australia Day Honours.
On Australia Day Invasion Day the Honours List was announced, revealing who has been appointed to the Order of Australia and the recipients of other honours. There were a number of arts and culture recipients in the list again this year, but the distribution reinforces a common divide in the arts: the lower Medals and Member-level honours skew towards working artists and grassroots organisations such as choirs, community theatres, historical societies and local arts groups. Similarly, while Indigenous cultural leaders appear in the list, their recognition is framed through ‘community service’ lens.
