The Howard Government has attacked the integrity and collection principles of the Parliament House Art Collection in a report prepared in response to complaints by Howard Government members.
Not only do these proposed changes threaten the integrity of the Parliament House Art Collection which is currently valued at $85.6 million, but acceptance of the recommendations threatens to end the purchase of original works of art by Australian living and emerging artists, with a key recommendation stating that it should not be the responsibility of the collection to support emerging artists and that;
“….should not as a rule collect the work of emerging artists.”
The Parliament House Art Collection as a public collection and indeed one which is admired around the world. The Collection plays an appropriate and vital role in the support of living and emerging artists and their cultural development and it is this principle which ensures that the Collection remains so identifiably Australian.
While a recommendation which calls for an expansion of the collection, and better representation of more regional areas of Australia is commendable, this should not come at the expense of the visionary nature and guiding principles upon which the Collection was founded.
This review, as is typical of cultural reviews instigated by the Howard Government, is yet another example of Howard’s war on culture and his view that Australian culture and the telling of our history should only focus on the great achievements of Anglo-Saxon males in Australia, rather than the complex and diverse stories that accurately reflect Australian culture.
Contact: Adina Cirson – (02) 6277 3334 or 0418 488 295
