MEDIA RELEASE: LABOR CONDEMNS FAKE INDIGENOUS ART

THE HON TONY BURKE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CITIZENSHIP AND MULTICULTURAL AUSTRALIA
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS
MEMBER FOR WATSON
 
 MADELEINE KING MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CONSUMER AFFAIRS
SHADOW MINISTER ASSISTING FOR RESOURCES
SHADOW MINISTER ASSISTING FOR SMALL BUSINESS
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR BRAND
 
LABOR CONDEMNS FAKE INDIGENOUS ART
 

Federal Labor has welcomed the Federal Court’s finding that Birubi Art Pty Ltd (Birubi) misled customers by selling fake Indigenous art. These products were found to be made overseas, with the company claiming that products it sold were made in Australia and hand painted by Indigenous Australian artists, which is a breach of Australian Consumer Law.

Birubi Art Pty Ltd was found to have mislead consumers into thinking they are buying genuine handmade Indigenous art when they are not – rather, their products were made in Indonesia.

Fake ‘Indigenous-style’ art is popular with tourist and souvenir stores who are able to sell wonderful Australian art such as decorated boomerangs, clapping sticks or digeridoos. Fake, mass produced and misleading products undercut legitimate artists and devalue genuine Indigenous cultural expression.

Labor supports the rights of Indigenous Australians to protect their cultural and intellectual property, and is committed to protecting consumers from false or misleading representations.

Members of the Labor Party are actively participating in the Parliamentary inquiry to inauthentic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ‘style’ art and craft products and we look forward to seeing its recommendations.

THURSDAY, 25 OCTOBER 2018