It’s important that clients and the valuation profession itself appreciate what approval of valuers under the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program (CGP) actually is. While approval of valuers serves as an important tool to facilitate donations of significant cultural items to public institutions, it is not accreditation or certification of a valuer’s skill or professional standing.
To support the CGP program, valuers with sanctioned areas of expertise are “approved” to determine GST-inclusive market values for donated works. The program supports philanthropy and collection building by public institutions and is significant in this context, but there are some misconceptions about the status of CGP-approved valuers.
The CGP plays an important and valuable role in Australia’s cultural landscape. Offering tax incentives encourages individuals to donate important cultural items to public institutions such as galleries, museums, libraries, and archives. Paintings, books, sculptures, installations, new media, manuscripts, personal papers, jewellery, ceramics, and scientific or technological collections have all entered public collections through this program. It is, without question, an important public policy initiative.
To support the program, valuers are approved to provide a market value for donated items. This approval is tied to a specific and clearly defined purpose. It ensures that donors receive an appropriate valuation for taxation outcomes and that the integrity of the scheme is maintained. However, it is also where the scope of the CGP approval of valuers begins and ends.
At times, CGP approval can be interpreted more broadly than intended, with some valuers erroneously claiming it is an Australian Government ‘accreditation’ which it isn’t. Indeed, one person falsely calls themselves an ‘Australian Government Valuer’. It is important to understand that approval under the CGP reflects suitability to undertake valuations within the CGP framework, and that’s it.
The Australian Government is clear that CGP approval is not designed to serve as a general certification or accreditation of a valuer’s professional standing, nor does it constitute a comprehensive assessment of technical competence across all valuation contexts. There can sometimes be a perception that CGP approval reflects a broader accreditation or certification of a valuer’s technical skill set or overall professional standing when this isn’t so.
Valuation is a complex profession that operates across many different environments. Providing a market value for a CGP donation is only one of many tasks. Valuers are also called upon to undertake work for insurance purposes, family law matters, deceased estates, business liquidation, financial reporting, and market appraisals at auction. Each of these contexts carries its own technical, legal and commercial considerations, often requiring different methodologies, reporting standards and risk management approaches.
This is where the AVAA Certified Valuer (CVAu) credential becomes important. It’s awarded by the Auctioneers and Valuers Association of Australia (AVAA), the national peak body for valuers.
The CVAu credential is designed to recognise valuers who meet a broader and more rigorous professional standard. It reflects not only technical capability, but also experience, adherence to professional standards, ethical conduct, and ongoing professional development. It signals to clients, institutions, courts and the broader market that a valuer operates within a recognised framework of professional practice that extends well beyond any single purpose valuation.
For valuers approved under the CGP, holding the CVAu credential provides an important complement to their role within the program. It demonstrates that their expertise is supported by a wider professional framework and provides assurance to clients in other settings that the valuer has been assessed against standards relevant to the full spectrum of valuation work. Professionals also maintain their technical knowledge through participation in events such as the AVC26 Conference to be held over 7-8 May 2026 on the Gold Coast. Indeed, many valuers of high professional standing with the CVAu credential also hold CGP approval for that aspect of their work.
It’s important to note that he Australian Government recognises the technical framework established by the International Valuation Standards Council (IVSC), which provides globally accepted principles for consistent and transparent valuation practice. AVAA is member of the IVSC, with the AVAA Professional Standards aligned with these international benchmarks. This ensures that AVAA Professional Standards reflect recognised best practice, supporting high-quality, defensible valuations within the Australian regulatory and commercial environment.
For CGP approved valuers, the CVAu credential offers formal recognition of their professional standing and broader technical competence. In doing so, it supports both individual credibility and the broader reputation of the valuation sector.
Recognising that CGP approval has a specific and focused purpose does not diminish its importance. Rather, it helps ensure clarity. CGP approval supports cultural philanthropy, while the CVAu credential supports ongoing professional practice across the valuation profession.
.
.
.
Interested In Finding Out More?
If you’re interested in the AVAA Certified Valuer (CVAu) credential, send an email to membership@avaa.com.au or telephone 1300 928 165. You can also stay up to date by following AVAA on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and Facebook.
.
