This all ties in with the controversy after the super-white Rob Guest Endowment announcement. I can see the issue — there are plenty of non-white Australian performers who could've done this, but the optics (at the least; there are obviously a lot of other problems at play here) aren't great to bring in an American.
https://artsreview.com.au/statement-by-the-equity-diversity-committee-on-the-rob-guest-endowment/
(Then again, I wouldn't blame Americans for looking overseas for work at this point.)
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt