Queen Victoria Market will ban the sale of inauthentic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander products within the next year.
The market has decided to take a proactive approach after the Productivity Commission signalled new laws to protect authentic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander products back in August.
Finding from the Commission show that two in every three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-style souvenirs sold in Australia are inauthentic, and have no connection to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“Many people would be surprised that this kind of thing is going on right across Australia in 2022,” says Queen Victoria Market CEO, Stan Liacos. “Selling inauthentic products isn’t just disrespectful to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and dishonest to customers, it also undercuts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses and legitimate artists who are trading in authentic items and trying to make a living.”
“We’re not waiting for new national laws to come into place – we’re acting now.”
“By preventing the sale of these inauthentic products at Queen Victoria Market,” says Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp, “we are creating opportunities for the sale of authentic items that celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and show greater respect to Traditional Landowners.”
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