More on the Rudd Government’s response to the Senate inquiry in the Australian:
The Rudd Government yesterday took its first step to clean up the Aboriginal art sector by supporting a national ethics code that aims to deter carpetbaggers and fraudsters.
The Government’s long-awaited response to a Senate inquiry into Australia’s indigenous art sector also acknowledged that more work was needed in the areas of authenticity and attribution — critical in the fight against fakes and forgeries that flood the market each year.
The Government has also agreed in principle to support more education and training programs, particularly for staff working in the community art centres. These programs would teach important skills such as governance, business planning, artists’ rights and responsibilities and market education.
But an allocation of $7.6 million over four years for an art centre support program, and $1.5 million to develop a resale royalty scheme (already announced in the federal budget) falls short of the industry’s call for a $25 million funding injection.
