











The Ninth Wave by The Farm and Co3 Contemporary Dance. Photo by Jess Wyld.
Festival of Outback Opera by Opera Queensland. Photo by Glenn Hunt.
Auto Cannibal by Australasian Dance Collective and Beijing Dance LDTX,
Choreographed by Stephanie Lake. Photo by Jade Ellis.
Zoom by Patch Theatre. Photo by Matt Byrne.
Trash Talk by The Strangeways Ensemble. Courtesy of Merrigong Theatre Company.
So Long Suckers by Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company. Photo by Simon Pynt.
Curious Legends
Black Cockatoo by Ensemble Theatre. Photo by Prudence Upton.
Whoosh by Sensorium Theatre. Photo by Peter Foster.
River Linked Live Virtual Concert. Photo by Abram Rasmussen Photography.
HOTA Home of the Arts. Courtesy of venue.
The Butch is Back by Reuben Kaye. Photo by Rebekah Ryan.
The national voice for performing arts presenting
PAC Australia is the national peak body for performing arts centres, presenters and producers across Australia. We connect presenters, producers and artists through our membership program and at our flagship event, the Australian Performing Arts Exchange (APAX). PAC Australia advocates for our members on a national level with government and key stakeholders. We conduct research and publish insights on the latest trends and thinking in the performing arts and host training programs specifically designed to develop and enhance the presentation of the performing arts in Australia.
DOWNLOAD our 2023-26 Strategic Plan.
Our Vision, Purpose and Values
Vision – Vibrant and connected communities through the shared experience of the performing arts.
Purpose – Our purpose is to connect, and unlock the potential of, performing arts presenters and creators, to transform and expand opportunities for artists and audiences across Australia.
Values – We are accessible and inclusive, courageous and tenacious, relevant and transparent, in everything we do. Firm in our role as advocates for our members, we form our positions collaboratively. We listen and act based on these values and engage with those who share them.
Guiding Principles
The principles guiding our Strategic Plan, and the standards to which we hold ourselves accountable, are:
- Respect for First Nations arts & culture.
First Nations people are the custodians of their culture, stories, and knowledge and their authority must be acknowledged and respected. - Respect
We recognise and value the unique knowledge, skills and backgrounds of our members, and the broader performing arts sector. As advocates for our membership, and a representative for the industry, respect is based on timely communication, sensitivity, safety, representation and delivering what we promise. - Transparency
Being explicit about the drivers behind decision-making, and who is making those decisions. - Accountability
Being accountable for commitments as agreed, responsible for our actions and decisions, and being clear about expectations and capacity. - Sustainability and opportunities to thrive
This relates to the impact of our decision-making on the sustainability of the organisation, the environment, or the sector. Sustainability is also directly connected to a commitment to wellbeing, connectedness
and security. Further, the sector can only thrive when there are equitable opportunities to do so, and relies on a commitment to diversity, access, and inclusion. - Safety
We are responsible for considering and accounting for the cultural, physical and psychological safety of our workplaces and engagement practices.
These principles also set an expectation of our membership and a framework for their own accountability through our Members Code of Conduct, the National Touring Charter and other standards set by
PAC Australia.
Our Goals
GOAL – CONNECTION: A connected presenting eco-system.
PAC Australia enables and supports the connection between art and audience, creator to presenter, presenter to presenter, and the performing arts sector and (three tiers of) government.
GOAL – BETTERMENT* OF PRACTICE: An informed and accountable presenting eco-system.
PAC Australia enables members to build their own capacity, and to build compelling cases for support and development through research, advocacy and training. We develop standards and support the conditions for
their implementation.
GOAL – LEADERSHIP: An evolving and sustainable presenting eco-system.
PAC Australia’s creates and enables the conditions for presenters, artists, and audiences to thrive.
GOAL – SUSTAINABILITY: An ambitious, strong and sustainable organisation.
*Betterment, not best practice. Presenters are active organisations representing a wide range of communities,
management models, practice, and scale – notions of best practice become compromised and impossible to achieve
when creating conditions that are ‘one size fits all’. Betterment of practice recognises the evolution of people, conditions,
practice and procedure.
PAC Australia Members
Our 250+ members include arts centres, independent producers and producing companies, festivals, performing arts consultants, agencies and funding bodies. Annually PAC Australia members present in excess of 64,000 events, with over 12 million attendances.
PAC Australia members have the lobbying and advocacy power of Australia’s national performing arts peak body behind them, and in front of them leading the way with national strategic initiatives.
View PAC Australia Members.