Neil Balnaves, Australian arts philanthropist, dies aged 77 after boating accident

Neil Balnaves has been remembered as a philanthropist who wanted to ‘create a better Australia through education, medicine and the arts, especially First Nations artists’. Photograph: Christopher Pearce/Getty Images

Neil Balnaves, the Australian arts philanthropist and former television executive, has died aged 77 after a boating accident.

Leading figures from the arts industry have paid tribute to Balnaves as a man who had a vision to “create a better Australia”.