G’DAY USA 2018 PROGRAM ANNOUNCED

Today we acknowledge the success of G’Day USA as it enters its 15th year as Australia’s premier public, economic and cultural diplomacy program that promotes Australian ideas, talent and innovation to influential audiences in the United States.

 

G’Day USA brings together leaders from government, business, universities and the creative industries, in a year-long campaign deepening Australia’s relationship with the United States.

 

We are pleased to launch an exciting 2018 program. Spanning innovation, public policy, defence cooperation, tourism, food and wine, fashion promotion, creative industries, sport and education, G’Day USA will include events in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Washington DC, Austin and Palm Springs.

 

G’Day USA will demonstrate the power of Australian ideas through such events as the Australia-US Dialogue on Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, delivered in partnership with the US Studies Centre, the Perth USAsia Centre and RAND; and an ‘Australia House’ showcase at South by Southwest (SXSW®) in Austin featuring Australian technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and creative talent.

 

New trade and investment events on the East Coast will further strengthen G’Day USA’s promotion of the wide-ranging, sophisticated economic relationship between Australia and the United States.

 

The United States is Australia’s second most valuable international tourism market, contributing more than $3.8 billion to our economy in 2016-17. The G’Day USA program will help build on this and attract more American visitors to Australia.

 

At the fifteenth annual G’Day USA Gala in Los Angeles in January 2018, we will acknowledge three exceptional Australians who have made their mark in the film and television industry.

 

Oscar-winning actor Heath Ledger will be honoured posthumously with a G’Day USA Lifetime Achievement award. Best known for his work in Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger was a significant presence in Hollywood.

 

Actress and producer Margot Robbie will receive an Excellence in Film award in recognition of outstanding performances in recent films including Suicide Squad and The Wolf of Wall Street. Her rapid rise to become one of Hollywood’s most sought after actresses saw her named by Time Magazine as one of 2017’s most influential people.

 

Film producer Bruna Papandrea will be honoured with an Outstanding Achievement in Film and Television award. The Emmy Award winning producer has established a name for herself in the industry over the past 20 years, most recently for her highly acclaimed series Big Little Lies and the film Gone Girl.