Australian museum under fire for acquiring object linked to protesters' attack on well-known painting

"It is the museum's job to collect material significant to our state's cultural life," Edwards said, emphasizing the importance of the museum's role in documenting cultural events.

"As an act of protest drawing attention to the impacts of the expansion of fossil fuel extraction in our northwest, on the priceless ancient Indigenous cultural heritage of the Burrup Peninsula, the Perspex on McCubbin's painting was an effective palette for this radical protest."

The museum's decision to acquire the protested acrylic sheet was met with significant backlash from politicians, some of whom accused it of glorifying vandalism.

Despite criticism, Margot Edwards argued that the protest's significance warranted preservation, suggesting it reflects ongoing conflicts between industrialization and Indigenous cultural heritage.

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