14 October 2016
The Turnbull Government welcomes the return of 13 Australian Indigenous ancestral remains through a repatriation ceremony that will be held at the Australian High Commission in London today.
The ancestral remains will be returned to members of the Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation and to representatives of the Ngarrindjeri community in South Australia and the Whadjuk community in Western Australia.
The Government welcomes the decisions by the Royal Pavilion and Museums Brighton, Brighton and Hove City Council, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham City Council and the University of Cambridge to return the remains that have been in their care.
This repatriation ceremony is a unique collaboration between the Australian Government, four international institutions, two city councils, Indigenous representatives from the Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation and representatives from Indigenous communities.
The Government is committed to assisting Indigenous communities to pursue the unconditional return of ancestral remains held in overseas collections and within Australia through the Indigenous Repatriation Program.
To date, more than 1000 Indigenous Australian ancestral remains have been returned from the United Kingdom to traditional custodians through the program.
The repatriation ceremony will be held at the Australian High Commission in London at 10.00 am BST (8.00 pm AEDST).
For more information visit: www.arts.gov.au/indigenous-repatriation.