Arabic version: إلغاء مقترح تزيين لافتة بريزبن بفن للسكان الأصليين بهدوء
According to ABC News, a Queensland government-backed corporation withdrew approval to temporarily decorate Brisbane’s South Bank sign with Aboriginal artwork during this year’s Clancestry festival. Documents obtained under right to information laws show the project had been budgeted and approved before the decision was reversed.
The proposed “reskin” would have covered the sign in traditional patterns and colours ranging from aqua to brown, designed by Nunukul artist Casey Coolwell-Fisher of North Stradbroke Island. Coolwell-Fisher’s work has been used by Clancestry since 2022. A QPAC employee wrote in April that the $15,170 cost was within the festival budget, enabled by sponsorship from Energy Queensland, and that South Bank Corporation and the three signatories controlling the sign had approved the work.
Clancestry ran for 10 days from July 30 and featured storytelling, dance, markets and music, with country singer Troy Cassar-Daley as a headline act. The Queensland Performing Arts Centre has run the festival since 2013. On July 3, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie announced a renewed South Bank board. Within five days, confidential briefing papers say South Bank chief executive Julia Scodellaro advised QPAC chief executive Rachel Healy that the corporation was no longer able to approve the sign decoration because of recent board changes.
South Bank said the Brisbane sign was a major asset and the request required consideration by the newly constituted board, which it could not complete in time for Clancestry. It said it remained committed to supporting events in the precinct and promoted the festival through digital, physical and online channels. Jackie Huggins, the University of Queensland’s director of partnerships and innovation for Indigenous engagement, called the explanation inadequate and said the decision appeared part of a broader attempt to erase Indigenous culture and presence. A Crisafulli government spokesman rejected claims of “Project Invisibility” and said decisions about assets, including the sign, were matters for South Bank.
