Mr Collette (NSW) held the position of Chief Executive of Opera Australia, Australia’s largest performing arts company for 16 years.
He also worked in book publishing for a decade, including as Managing Director, Reed Books, a Division of Reed Elsevier. His previous role of Vice-Principal (Engagement) at the University of Melbourne included the oversight of the University’s museums and galleries and its many arts sector partnerships. He served on the Australia Council Board since 1 July 2013.
He was made a member of the Order of Australia in 2008 for service to the performing arts particularly through executive roles with Opera Australia, as a mentor to young artists, to publishing and to the community.
Reset: A New Public Agenda for the Arts offered two days and nights of thinking and discussion about how the arts and cultural sector could work to break out of the current impasse through a radical reorganisation of cultural practice and policy.