An Aboriginal art wholesaler and retailer is being sued for allegedly selling works purported to be of Aboriginal origin when actually they were from Indonesia.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is bringing a lawsuit against the Australian Dreamtime Creations Pty Ltd in federal court in Adelaide for selling pieces to retail outlets claiming that they were painted by a person of Aboriginal descent named Ubanoo Brown. The ACCC alleges that the company engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct and made false or misleading representations about the country of origin of goods in breach of the Trade Practices Act 1974 by claiming that the carved wooden artworks it sold were made in Australia when they were imported from Indonesia. The ACCC has also brought charges against company director Tony Antoniou, alleging he knowingly took part in the scheme. The case comes before the court on July 6.