The Aboriginal Arts Board: A Turning Point in Cultural Recognition.

In 1973, amid a wave of political and social change in Australia, the Whitlam Government established the Aboriginal Arts Board — the first body of its kind dedicated solely to supporting and promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts. Its creation was a landmark moment, signalling a long-overdue recognition of the cultural and artistic contributions of First Nations peoples to the national story.

What set the Board apart was its leadership. Rather than being governed by bureaucrats or outside experts, it was placed in the hands of Aboriginal artists and cultural leaders themselves. Figures such as Dick Roughsey (Goobalathaldin) and Wandjuk Marika were among those who shaped its direction, ensuring the focus remained on community needs, cultural continuity, and the protection of traditions.

The Aboriginal Arts Board provided crucial funding for artists, language preservation, dance groups, theatre companies, and exhibitions at a time when Aboriginal voices were rarely seen or heard in mainstream galleries and cultural institutions. It championed the recording of oral histories, supported the establishment of art centres in remote communities, and helped bring Indigenous art onto the world stage.

Perhaps its greatest legacy is the shift it created in national consciousness. By giving Aboriginal people the authority to represent their own culture, the Board challenged long-standing paternalism and redefined what Australian art could be. The ripples of its work are still felt today in the global recognition of Aboriginal art as one of the oldest, richest, and most innovative cultural traditions in the world.

More than 50 years later, the establishment of the Aboriginal Arts Board is remembered not just as a bureaucratic milestone, but as a powerful act of cultural sovereignty — one that helped amplify voices that had too long been silenced.