1) WAM who holds the Aboriginal flag rights is part-owned by Ben Wooster. His former company Birubi Art Pty Ltd was prosecuted for selling and profiting of fake Aboriginal art and was fined $2.3m.
2) Birubi Art Pty Ltd was handed the penalty by the Federal Court on Wednesday after it determined the company breached consumer law by claiming it sold “authentic Aboriginal Art” that was made in Indonesia.
3) Wooster is also part-owner and director of WAM Clothing, a company which has been sending cease and desist letters to companies which use the Indigenous flag, including the AFL.
4) WAM co-owner Semele Moore said on Sunday that the organisation had given permission 2 the AFL for players to wear the Aboriginal flag on their jumpers, but not for them to be reproduced for sale. An agreement between WAM and the AFL over the use of the flag hasn’t been reached
5) In 1972 Aboriginal activist Gary Foley took the flag to the Aboriginal tent embassy where the flag was adopted and accepted.
6) Artist Harold Thomas sold the licence to ATSIC in 2004 for a substantial amount. ATSIC was abolished and government should have retained this asset!
7) Because the asset wasn’t retained by the commonwealth, Harold Thomas sold it on again!
8) A proclamation was made by the Governor-General on 14 July 1995 recognising the flag described in the Schedule as the flag of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia & a flag of significance to the Australian nation generally, & appointing the flag under section 5 of the Flags Act
9) (continued)1953 as the flag of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia and to be known as the Australian Aboriginal Flag.
10) The Flags Act of 1953;

Section 7 Rules as to use of flags;

The Governor-General may make, and cause to be published, rules for the guidance of persons in connexion with the flying or use of flags or ensigns referred to in, or appointed under, this Act.
11) There are two ways to acquire the flag that for the past 48 years Aboriginal people have given rise to with our implied licence to use it. The first way is via Section 7 of the flags act that the Governor General can make with the stroke of a pen - rules for the use of flags
12) The second way is for the commonwealth to reinstate the ATSIC body for the sole purpose of it being the body that bought the original non-exclusive, irrevocable world wide licence for the flag from Harold Thomas!
13) All @AFL clubs banded together and took a knee for the #BLM movement. I call on the #AFL to adopt the #freetheflag symbol for this weekends Dreamtime Round to stand with US in solidarity, not AGAINST US with WAM. Paint this on TIO stadium’s oval instead of “Deadly”
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