Darren Cheeseman (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for that. The change also requires some consequential amendments later on, and we will deal with those in due course. The government has spent some time talking to stakeholders in order to understand which artworks qualify for the scheme. That is very important, and the committee has spent a lot of time working through some of these questions. I know that there are some traditionalists who say that getting some of these things right is a very difficult challenge. I am positive that the actions of the government with respect to this particular bill have struck the right balance between the rights of artists and the rights of those who may wish to acquire art from future generations.

I would like to conclude with this particular point: for a long time our traditional Indigenous artists have not been recognised to the same extent as the European masters. I think this bill will go a long way towards providing recognition for those Indigenous masters who have contributed significantly to maintaining Indigenous culture. It will go a long way towards enabling our Indigenous communities to become economically sustainable in the work that they undertake. This bill is important in terms of its process and its implementation.

The second amendment, which I think is very important, will deal with a number of very important recommendations that did come out of the standing committee and I certainly look forward to seeing further developments on this. Royalties for artists will be collected by a single organisation appointed by the minister following a competitive process. The government has committed $1.5 million over the next three years in the 2007-08 budget for the establishment of this scheme to enable its operation to continue.

I believe this is a landmark day for the people’s artists. I believe that this day will very much encourage our arts communities to continue their development. I believe that on this day we can celebrate the worth of many of our artists, particularly our traditional artists, and it is a day on which we bring back to the arts community the equality that has long been sought. This is another strong Labor bill and I certainly commend it to the Main Committee.

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