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One of Australia’s most prestigious art galleries demands an Acknowledgement of Country just to enter their WEBSITE – amid claims the ritual is being overused
- Art Gallery of NSW needs user to read Acknowledgement of Country to use site
- Radio host Ben Fordham says it is ‘downgrading the significance of the gesture’
- Coles was slammed for their use of Acknowledgement of Country on receipts
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One of Australia’s most prestigious art galleries now requires visitors to click through an Acknowledgement of Country just to enter its website.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales’ website prompts users to read the message before having to click continue before they can actually access the site.
‘We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the Country on which the Art Gallery of New South Wales stands,’ the declaration reads.
The Art Gallery of NSW site states the institution has ‘long collected, displayed and interpreted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and is committed to recognising it as Australia’s premier cultural tradition and celebrating the essential place it holds in the shared history and identity of this country’.
The Art Gallery of NSW requires user to read an Acknowledgement of Country to use its site. The gallery website prompts users to read the message before having to click continue before they can actually access the site
The Art Gallery of NSW (pictured) states the gallery ‘respect the ongoing rights Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have to their culture’
‘We respect the ongoing rights Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have to their culture and recognise that cultural authority over art does not diminish because a work has entered an institutional collection. The Gallery has an ongoing commitment to best practice in engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,’ the statement reads.
Radio host Ben Fordham lashed out at the overuse of the Acknowledgement Of Country on his 2GB show, claiming the message was ‘forced’.
‘Once upon a time – it was something special. Now it’s so tokenistic that people are tuning out,’ Fordham said on Thursday.
‘You physically cannot access the [Art Gallery of NSW] website – unless you click “Continue” on that message.
‘They don’t give you the option. No wonder it’s starting to feel forced. Don’t get me wrong, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land but are you telling me that this now has to be done every time someone opens a website? Talk about downgrading the significance of the gesture.’
2GB host Ben Fordham (pictured) lashed out at the overuse of the Acknowledgement Of Country and how ‘forced’ the Art Gallery of NSW’s message is
Fordham also slammed the use of the Acknowledgement of Country by Coles and Qantas, labelling it as ‘tacky’.
‘Qantas plays an Acknowledgement of Country before their flights and how’s this for tacky? Coles is printing an Acknowledgment of Country on its receipts,’ the radio host said.
‘No wonder some Indigenous representatives are saying slow down.
‘They say its unnecessary and condescending. Indigenous elder Ian Hunter has told News Corp the Acknowledgement of Country shouldn’t be taken lightly. It should only be used where appropriate such as a citizenship ceremony. I’m getting fed up with this. It’s overreach.’
Coles has been printing Acknowledgement of Country on its receipts for some time.
Printed near the bottom of the receipt, the statement reads, ‘Coles Group acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia. We recognise their strength and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.’
‘Coles Group extends that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and recognise their rich cultures and consulting connection to land and waters,’ it added.