AUSTRALIA - GOVT WEIGHS INTO NUDE TEEN ART DEBATE

The federal government believes the problem of the sexualisation of children in all forms of media needs to be addressed, as controversy over an art exhibition featuring naked young teen girls continues.Police raided the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, in Paddington in Sydney's eastern suburbs, just before the exhibition of Bill Henson's works was to open on Thursday.
Officers seized 20 of Henson's images, which feature a naked girl and boy said to be aged 12 and 13 years old.State and federal charges are expected to be laid over the exhibition, and the investigation has moved interstate with the girl depicted in the pictures believed to be in Victoria.
Threats were left on an answering machine at the gallery as the owners prepared to reopen the exhibition without the controversial works."There are some crackpots out there," Tony Oxley, husband of owner Roslyn, told Fairfax."We have had threats to burn the building down. It is very worrying."
The Law Society of NSW and fellow artists have backed Henson, but politicians, including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, have expressed concern about the exhibition.
Federal Families Minister Jenny Macklin said both parents and policymakers had to draw a line in the sand on the issue.
"I think this sexualisation of children is wrong," she told the Nine Network.
"I don't agree with the photographs, but I also don't agree with the way in which children are being bombarded in many other places, whether it's billboards, whether it's on children's television.
"Children these days are just getting bombarded with sexualised images all the time, and it's that sexualisation of children that I think is wrong."
Ms Macklin said the federal government would attempt to address what she described as "very, very difficult issues" through the national framework.
The minister launched a discussion paper aimed at prompting a debate about what the federal government should be doing to better protect children from abuse and neglect. The paper will form the basis for a National Child Protection Framework.
"I think now with the internet, with multi-media, these images that some people see as art can now be displayed all over the world in a flash, and used for purposes for which they certainly were not intended, and I think a lot of parents are very, very worried about these issues," she said.
"This is about making sure we do everything we can to guarantee that children can have a childhood, that they can enjoy the wonders and excitement about being kids, not being forced to confront the things that adults have to confront."
The Art Gallery of NSW has around 48 Henson works, with no plans to take the two currently on display off exhibition.
A gallery spokeswoman said the two works, which feature naked subjects in a landscape, had been on display for a number of weeks.
"We totally respect Bill Henson's work," she said
"We've had no complaints."
Police said they were unaware of any interest in the gallery's collection.
"We don't have any information to say any other art gallery is being investigated," a police spokeswoman said.
Hetty Johnson from the child sexual assault advocacy group Bravehearts, called on the art world to consider the community outrage.
"I think it's a message to the arts world to be responsible, not to be selfish around this," she told Macquarie Radio.
"To consider ... child protection matters because it's a crisis facing our children and everybody as adults has a role to play, including the arts industry."