APY Art Centre Collective

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (20:33): I move:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges the importance of Indigenous art centres in their celebration of culture and contribution to First Nations communities;

2. Welcomes the opening of a dedicated Umoona Community Arts Centre in Coober Pedy; and

3. Notes the success that the APY Arts Collective has achieved on a national and international level.

As you well know, Mr President, Indigenous art is something that is a lifeblood to many Aboriginal people. It is something that is seen as a success story, and particularly here in South Australia we have something very much to be proud of, and that is the APY Art Centre Collective. The APY Art Centre Collective represents some 500-plus Anangu artists. They have a lot of people on their books and a lot of artists who are able to turn their art into income for themselves, their families and their communities. Indeed I congratulate the APY Art Centre Collective on their outstanding international, local and nationwide success.

I note that they previously had premises on Light Square in the city, but most recently they have moved down to 57-59 George Street, Thebarton. I encourage any member of this council to take a visit and perhaps stock up on some Christmas goodies because they have everything from pottery to earrings to quite significantly large, beautiful artworks in painted form. In fact, Ambassador Caroline Kennedy recently spent quite a few hours at the APY Art Centre Collective premises and I believe went away with a few goodies of her own.

This most recent time for the APY Art Centre Collective has seen them supporting opportunities for 70-plus new artists through the Port Augusta Arts Collective, Dunjiba arts in Oodnadatta and APY Adelaide arts centre as well as the Adelaide Women's Prison project—which in particular focuses on pottery, should you go to visit that George Street premises—and the South Australian weavers association.

They have also achieved significant success in national and international arts events and industry awards, including Josina Pumani winning the Emerging Artist Award at the NATSIAAs at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory; Zaachariaha Fielding, known to many of you through his work in Electric Fields and also an artist of the APY Art Centre Collective, winning the 2023 Wynne Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales; Vicki Cullinan winning the 2023 Hadley's Art Prize; and Alfred Lowe winning the 2024 MA Art Prize with the Sydney Contemporary and the 2024 Shelley Simpson emerging art prize.

In 2023, the Albertina museum acquired a major work by Nyunmiti Burton for their permanent collection in Vienna. In 2023-24, works by Nyunmiti Burton, Zaachariaha Fielding, Alfred Lowe, Sally Scales, LeShaye Swan, Kunmanara Brady and Josina Pumani from the APY Art Centre Collective were acquired by Fondation Opale, Switzerland; the National Gallery of Australia; the Art Gallery of South Australia; Parliament House in Canberra; the Art Gallery of New South Wales; the National Gallery of Victoria; the South Australian Museum; Flinders University; Artbank; and the Powerhouse Museum.

The APY Art Centre Collective's friends in museum leadership have remained steadfast in their loyalty to the APY Art Centre Collective and have given them encouragement and support that has buoyed their collective spirits during what has been a very challenging period. In the past two years—and it is now two years—the APY Art Centre Collective have seen many challenges. They have been the subject of not one, not two, not three, but four investigations sparked by a campaign by The Australian newspaper, the claimed so-called 'white hands on black art', claims that have not been substantiated in not one, not two, not three, but now four investigations.

Most recently, the ORIC investigation has wound up with a simple administrative instruction that an email address be assigned and some slight constitutional changes be made reflecting the growing nature of the size of the organisation. Prior to that, the ACCC, back on 19 July this year, put out a press release saying the investigation into the APY Art Centre Collective claims was discontinued. The statement from the ACCC was:

We have reviewed the material provided by the South Australian Government panel, and others, and found nothing that we consider may have breached the Australian Consumer Law…

That was a statement assigned to the ACCC Deputy Chair, Catriona Lowe. Indeed, the APY Art Centre Collective is a not-for-profit organisation incorporated under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act. It is First Nations owned and governed. It supports over 500 artists, and it has been put through the wringer. That is why I bring this motion to this place today, because there has also been a tripartite government review of the APY Art Centre Collective sparked by that mischievous campaign by The Australian.

It was a campaign where the video—the so-called 'white hands on black art'—was never provided in full to any of the review panels or investigations and was later found to have been the subject of a rival art dealer paying some money to somebody and then supplying that to the journalist who waged the campaign against them. The National Gallery was the first review that the APY Art Centre Collective faced, and that found no evidence of wrongdoing in that particular exhibition and no evidence of the so-called 'white hands on black art' so-called scandal.

I bring this motion to the house today to congratulate the APY Art Centre, which was already doing a fantastic job, but note that for the last two years they have suffered and been treated like witches at a witch trial in Salem, where they were damned if they drowned and damned if they did not. They are continuing on, they are going from success to success, but currently, unfortunately, they are going from that success to success without state government support, which should be duly restored, that was withdrawn from them two years ago by the Malinauskas government.

I bring members' attention to a piece of correspondence of 4 November 2024 that was sent on behalf of the APY Art Centre Collective from two directors, one being Sandra Pumani and the other being George Cooley, both very well-respected artists in their own right and very much leaders in their community. That correspondence to the Premier, Peter Malinauskas, is cc'd to the Hon. Susan Close, the Hon. Kyam Maher, the Hon. Andrea Michaels.

It does actually outline the plight of an organisation that does wonderful things, that brings a richness to the culture and the continuing culture. Certainly, on this day where we heard a First Nations Voice to this parliament for the first time, I would hope we would be in a position where we would be supporting organisations like the APY Art Centre Collective. It brings wealth into those communities, and it does so in a way that is incredibly productive and particularly supportive of the Anangu community and brings that culture to the broader community.

The directors have requested a meeting with the Premier to discuss the fact that their funding that was withdrawn two years ago has still not been restored but also in this time to reflect on the success that they have continued to achieve through these adverse situations. Just imagine how many more achievements they may well have had, that I could be informing this council of tonight, had we not actually seen them put through not one, not two, not three, but four reviews, inquisitions, all of which have found no evidence of any wrongdoing by the APY Art Centre Collective.

I seek leave to table this piece of correspondence so that all members of the council may see it and so that it may encourage that meeting to take place.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: With that, I commend particularly the leadership of Skye O'Meara and Sally Scales. Sally Scales was a face of the yes campaign in the Voice to Parliament referendum. The cynics amongst us would assume and presume that perhaps there was a different agenda at play against the APY Art Centre Collective. It is I think shameful that the Malinauskas government has withdrawn their arts funding and not restored it as was promised, that the South Australian government with its tripartite approach with the Northern Territory government and the federal government, when its review panel failed to even produce a report, prolonged the pain for another year and withdrew that funding that had already been awarded to the APY Art Centre Collective.

With that, I use this motion and this opportunity to call for that funding to be restored, to call on the arts minister to give the APY Art Centre Collective the respect that they deserve, the recognition that they deserve and, indeed, the funding that they were previously awarded. With that, I commend the motion.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (20:44): I rise today to indicate that the Liberal opposition will be supporting the Hon. Tammy Franks to recognise and acknowledge the importance of Indigenous art centres. The APY Art Centre Collective is a group of 10 Indigenous-owned and governed art centres that work together on innovative artistic projects and strong business initiatives. Bringing together the work of a range of APY local art centres and some 500 artists who do their work in those centres, the APY Art Centre Collective provides a location in Adelaide where they can do their work when in the city, and also provides gallery space for them to promote their work.

It is incredible to see that some of the artists are now winning major international art prizes and having exhibitions around the world, as mentioned by the mover. Many countries around the world celebrate their Indigenous cultures and promote their artists. Therefore, the work by the art collective is significant, because they assist APY artists to commercialise their creative work and sell interstate and overseas.

APYACC recognises that art centre businesses are the beating heart of our communities. Their vision is to support every person of working age to have culturally affirming employment and earn an independent income so that they can succeed. The APY lands are home to seven art centres, which, along with studios in Adelaide and Umoona in Coober Pedy, facilitate and market the work of more than 500 Indigenous artists, as I mentioned earlier.

The Umoona Community Arts Centre is the latest permanent fixture to be added to the APYACC, having opened its doors earlier this year, and provides an important space for Indigenous artists in Coober Pedy and the surrounding area to gather, learn and engage with the community. Umoona Arts was established in 2020, with more than 30 artists from different language groups, ages and generations, embracing different mediums and diverse styles, working alongside each other. The new facility is the result of years of community-led advocacy and provides studio spaces and exhibition galleries, along with collaborative spaces for workshops and community engagement programs.

The prestigious standing of the APYACC within the Indigenous arts industry has seen the art centre flourish, being home to some of the best known and most collectible Indigenous artists in the country. Most of the funds generated by the APYACC are returned to the community on the APY lands. It is one of the most significant sources of non-government money that generates economic activity in these communities.

The model is underpinned by modest government funding of approximately $245,000 per year, which supports the enabling work undertaken by the administration of the group. However, as the mover, the honourable member, pointed out, we understand that this funding was unfortunately suspended by arts minister the Hon. Andrea Michaels last year, with a review put in place following the release of a video suggesting that white studio assistants were doing work for one of the artists, which became known as 'white hands on black art'. There is nothing unusual about studio assistants aiding artists, and the minister's review did not make any findings that were conclusive. Instead, it referred the case to the ACCC and ORIC. The ACCC has found no case to answer.

My colleagues the Hon. John Gardner and Josh Teague, the shadow minister for arts and the shadow minister for Aboriginal affairs respectively, have both visited the APYACC and made trips to the APY lands, where they have spoken with many artists. The diverse range of artists that they spoke with were united in the strength of their expression about the disrespect they felt from the South Australian arts minister, who removed their administration funding without consulting with them about it. That the minister refuses to reinstate their funding remains a significant black mark on the record of this Malinauskas Labor government

In contrast, the former Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the former Premier the Hon. Steven Marshall, was a regular visitor to the APY lands and a regular visitor to its art centres and to APYACC. He would regularly introduce philanthropic international business people visiting South Australia to artists and their work, leading to many sales, money that went back into supporting communities as well as those local talented artists.

In recognising the APYACC as the important cultural institution that it is, it is disappointing to see that it has been tarnished by the lack of support and respect that it is due from the arts minister and from this Labor government. The APY Art Centre Collective has had a large positive impact on the economic, social and cultural outlook of the communities in the APY lands and is something that our state should be deeply proud of.

I want to thank the Hon. Tammy Franks for moving this motion and also for her ongoing passion in supporting Indigenous arts and First Nations communities. We join the honourable member in calling for funding to the APYACC to be restored by the Malinauskas Labor government. With those words, I commend the motion.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (20:50): I rise on behalf of the government to express our support for this motion, a motion that acknowledges the importance of Indigenous art centres. Indigenous community art centres are often vibrant hubs and they are also safe spaces that foster community pride and wellbeing. Importantly, they transfer more than 60,000 years of history, stories and knowledge from past generations over to present and future generations.

I have seen firsthand how our Aboriginal art centres are economic drivers, providing employment, social connection and income opportunities for people in many communities across the state. During my visits to the APY lands with the former South Australian Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee, it was evident that the art centres were the heart and soul of the local communities we visited. In June this year, the opening of the Umoona Community Arts Centre in the Umoona community in Coober Pedy played a vital role for that community.

This government was proud to partner with the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation, and together we provided around $1 million for the construction of this purpose-built facility in Umoona. The former federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon. Linda Burney MP, alongside our own Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Hon. Kyam Maher, and the member for Giles in the other place attended the official opening of the centre this year on 18 June. The Umoona centre will transform the community's cultural vibrancy and also have significant social and economic impacts.

We can never underestimate the power of art. Aboriginal art connects Indigenous Australians to their ancestral heritage and also plays an essential role in contemporary Indigenous life. Our Indigenous artists pass on knowledge to our younger generations and educate non-Indigenous people about Aboriginal culture. Aboriginal art also helps in healing, advocacy and maintaining a strong cultural voice, not only to Australian society but to many other nations as well. As I discovered on my travels to the APY lands, our Indigenous art centres have their work celebrated in many parts of the world.

With that, I thank the Hon. Tammy Franks MLC for bringing this motion to the chamber. The Malinauskas Labor government is honoured to support Indigenous art centres and proudly supports this motion.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (20:53): I rise to conclude the debate and thank those who have made a contribution tonight: the Hon. Jing Lee and the Hon. Tung Ngo. I also thank you, Mr President, for having attended one of the most recent Umoona artists launch with George Cooley in attendance down at the APY Art Centre Collective premises on George Street in Thebarton in previous months. Similarly to the Hon. Tung Ngo, you and I have many a time, as you know, visited those APY Art Centre Collective locations on APY lands as well. It is a success story; it is a success story that deserves a happy ending, rather than the nightmare that they have currently been living through.

With that, I thank members for their contributions tonight, and I note that the Hon. Kyam Maher in particular and, federally, Minister Burney and Minister Burke have been particularly supportive of the APY Art Centre Collective. I hope that we see a time when we can come and celebrate their successes in a strongly cross-party, collaborative way.

Motion carried.