Talk:Australian Homemade

Untitled

Do some of these categories even make sense? Like... "companies based in Adelaide"? Not even the most optimistic Veenendaal resident would dare comparing his town with Adelaide.

A lot of people here in Germany think the stores are actually Australian, when really it is just the name and they are owned by the Dutch. I think the company just wanted to have an exotic name. They're prices are pretty high too.

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Article

Sometimes the link to the new article doesn't work. Here it is in full:

Artful Dutch seek to sweet-talk furious Aborigines By Amy Lawson September 7, 2003 The Sun-Herald

The Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Commission has slammed a Dutch confectionery company for depicting indigenous designs on its products without permission.

The company, Australian Homemade, which produces ice-cream and chocolates, says its products are "inspired by the Australian indigenous communities".

But ATSIC's culture, rights and justice committee commissioner Rodney Dillon has described their use of indigenous-inspired artwork as an "outrageous exploitation of our culture and beliefs".

"Once again we are seeing insult added to injury by this company's appropriation of indigenous images," Mr Dillon said.

But Australian Homemade chief executive Christoph Schmitz defended the company's position, saying the designs were not Aboriginal art but designs by a Dutch artist inspired by indigenous art.

The criticism comes in the wake of controversy surrounding Prince Harry's use of Aboriginal symbols and painting styles in his artwork.

Mr Dillon said the Prince's work constituted cultural theft.

"When people [do] this without any understanding of the spirit of these things, it means they are being very disrespectful," Mr Dillon said last month after hearing of the Prince's work.

Mr Dillon was equally outraged by Australian Homemade's use of indigenous images.

"I have seen the company's promotional material which says in part 'think Australian Homemade, think Aboriginals'," he said.

"It's a pity that the owners didn't follow their own advice and think about asking Aboriginals before they started making money, both here and overseas, using our images."

Mr Schmitz said he appreciated it was a sensitive issue and the company, which has 61 stores globally and opened its first Australian store last month, had no intention of causing offence to Aboriginal people.

He also said the company had been approached by ATSIC and were now working with them to help promote Aboriginal issues.

"A lot of people are inspired by the art because it is fantastic art, and it's certainly not the case that anybody wants to take advantage of the Aboriginals," Mr Schmitz said.

"That's what I find so sad about it because it's really nice, it's a big advertisement for them, because usually when you hear Aboriginal in Australia it always has this negative connotation and I think we are supporting them."