Media Release

29 March 2018: KAP Member for Kennedy Hon Bob Katter has delivered another warning to all visitors attending the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast that if they buy fake, imported ‘Aboriginal Style’ art as a souvenir they are destroying jobs, incomes and preventing production of art from First Australians.

Mr Katter reintroduced a Bill into Parliament, for the second time, in September last year which would make it illegal to sell fake and imported ‘Aboriginal Style’ art in response to calls from First Australian groups, the Indigenous Art Code, Arts Law Australia the Copyright Council of Australia. It is estimated that 85% of what is sold in souvenir shops and as Indigenous Art, is fake and imported.

Mr Katter said the sale of imitation and fake art deprives the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders one of the only remaining income streams for First Australians.

“I am sick of buying my grandchildren woomeras that won’t throw a spear, boomerangs that won’t come back, and bullroarers that don’t roar. So, firstly, we would like to give our tourists, whether they are Australian tourists or overseas tourists, a bit of genuineness in the product that we sell.

“First Australians can’t get a title deed off any Federal or State Government in Australia. I issued 800 in two and a half years when I was a Minister in the Queensland Bjelke-Petersen government.

“So they can’t get any income from that source, but they can from their art which has become very valuable indeed.

“We have a Namatjira style art which is very, very culturally identifiable as First Australian artwork which has been copied in China, India and Indonesia and has been replicated a million times and being sent into Australia and sold as genuine First Australian art,” Mr Katter said.

Mr Katter said that Indigenous art that is produced, marketed and sold as authentic when it comes from foreign countries meant all the jobs were overseas.

Mr Katter reintroduced the Bill which was first introduced into Parliament in February 2017, but has since expired off the notice paper. The Bill had the support of artists, lawyers and consumer groups.

“All we get is inquiries in this place. Nothing ever happens. We want action on this for fairness for our First Australian peoples and I will continue to fight for it”.

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