Commissioned by the National Arts Council of Singapore, our Executive Director, Sarah Gardner, presented a course for Council staff that aimed to give participants an understanding of the arts in Australia and the issues that impact on them within a context of current international trends; an understanding of the role of the Australia Council and the impact of Australian government policies and programs on the arts; and equip participants with an understanding of a variety of strategic planning, policy and communication tools. The course used a variety of techniques including structured presentations and discussion and was presented with Mark Stapleton from the Australia Council.