Articles - 2 December 2003

Don't free trade away Australia's artistic future

National Association for the Visual Arts Ltd

"Surely the Federal Government could not possibly give the US free rein to swamp Australia's visual cultural future", was the anxiety expressed by representatives attending an all day urgent meeting of the National Visual Arts and Craft Network (NVACN) held in Sydney last Friday 28 November. NVACN has as members, the 25 national peak networks and organisations representing the whole Australian visual arts and craft sector.

In relation to the free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between Australia and the US, the Prime Minister is currently meeting with arts sector representatives who are urgently urging him not to allow the US the means to dominate any new areas of technological development which will affect future Australian cultural production and delivery.

"It is impossible for anyone to predict what mediums artists will be using in twenty, fifty, a hundred years and beyond", asserted artist Michael Keighery, chair of the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) which arranged the NVACN meeting. "Their future viability as artists should not be compromised by concessions sought by the United States in the interests of extending the global reach of their audiovisual industries," he continued.

"If Australia is to go ahead with this FTA, the ability of Australian visual artists to have the freedom and support to continue to be at the cutting edge of visual exploration must be ensured", continued Keighery.

Bill Wright, director of Sherman Galleries in Sydney representing the Australian Commercial Galleries Association at the NVACN meeting said, "It is equally impossible to know what the exhibition platforms for Australia's visual artists will be in fifty years time. It is already the case that people are buying on-line, and it may be that virtual art galleries will become as important as the physical galleries of today. In the contemporary Australian visual art market, artists and galleries are already selling and licensing the use of art online".

The terms of Australia's free trade agreement (FTA) with the US will determine whether Australians will be able to make and access Australian art in any forms other than those which currently exist. The government has been proposing a "stand still" agreement which could limit any future developments.

Unlike Australia's agreement with Singapore where the Government secured the unfettered right to introduce or amend any measures it considers fit into the future in any media, the Government's current position means that the trade negotiators would have to absolutely accurately predict the future now, if they are to ensure an ongoing space for Australia's artists.

For media comment contact:
Tamara Winikoff
Executive Director
National Association for the Visual Arts
Telephone: 02 9368 1900