Indigenous arts and languages

Digi Youth Arts

Three young Aboriginal actors performing on a theatre stage.

Digi Youth Arts is a collective of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists committed to sharing stories that empower young people. The organisation has a history of producing thought-inspiring works that educate audiences on traditional culture and contemporary Indigenous perspectives.

In 2013, Digi Youth Art's first work, Glad Tomorrow, shared the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from remote communities attending school in Brisbane. This was soon followed by The Truth Is, a creative exploration of urban Indigenous identity, in partnership with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health. The Children's Monologues was delivered in early 2015, bringing the stories of Cape York children to the main stage of Brisbane. This was followed by a successful season of in-dij-uh-nus at Brisbane Powerhouse—a contemporary theatre work sharing the collective cultural experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth. Digi Youth Arts has also presented contemporary cultural works as part of TEDx South Bank 2014, Jungle Love Festival 2015 and Clancestry 2015. In 2016, Digi Youth Arts presented two new works as part of Backbone's 2high Festival: Waiting and Searching, collaboration with Sisters Inside and Aunties Talkin', in partnership with Ganyjuu Grandmothers.

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Delvene Cockatoo-Collins

Two small white handmade ceramic whales sitting on sand

Living on Minjerribah North Stradbroke Island, Delvene Cockatoo-Collins is a Nunukul, Ngugi and Goenpul woman of Quandamooka Country.

Delvene is an artist who specialises in textiles and ceramics. The stories she shares through these mediums are those of her family's lived experiences on Minjerribah, the natural environment, and her responses to representations of images and objects of Quandamooka. Some of these images and designs include 'where freshwater meets saltwater' and 'Migalu yalingbilla'. Delvene sells her products through her market stall label Made on Minjerribah.

Girl hanging yellow lino-printed fabric on branch of palm tree.

Delvene currently works on local arts projects, including Jarjums Life Museum—a project capturing the lives of children living on Minjerribah and Inala, local cultural events including NAIDOC on Minjerribah, and the Quandamooka Festival—a three-month cultural festival held across Quandamooka Country. Some of the highlights of local festivals include the cultural exchanges on Minjerribah with visiting Pacific Nations, which involve the sharing of song, dance and food with visitors.

Delvene lives on Country with her family. It is important to her that her children know their families, their connections, Country, the local language 'Jandai' and their traditional dances.

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Buku-Larrnggay Mulka

Hand of aboriginal filmmaker hovering over keyboard

The Mulka Project is a digital library, museum and film production facility within Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre in Yirrkala, a small Aboriginal community on the northeastern tip of the Top End of the Northern Territory. The Mulka Project is considered a recipe for successful preservation of culture and a benchmark program amongst the Indigenous art centres across the country. The archive includes over 200 films all made by local Indigenous filmmakers and editors.

Wukun Wanambi is an artist from north-east Arnhem Land who works primarily using earth pigments on bark and larrakitj (hollow log coffins), as well as making limited edition prints. Wukun's father, Mithili Wanambi, died before he was able to learn from him to any great degree. He began painting in 1997 as part of an artistic program called the Saltwater project. His arm of the Marrakulu clan is responsible for saltwater imagery, which had not been painted intensively since his father's death in 1981. His caretakers, or Djunggayi—principally the late Yanggarriny Wunungmurra—transferred their knowledge of these designs to Wukun, so that the title to saltwater could be asserted. Some of these designs were outside even his father's public painting repertoire. Wukun and his wife Warraynga, also an artist, have five children. Wukun is an active member of the community, with a particular focus on health and recreation projects.

Arian has a passion for music. He employs music to connect his Yolngu culture, stories and people with in, and outside of the Yolngu world. One of Arians greatest influences in his life has been his grandmother, Gamala (Nancy) Yunupingu, who was a Gumatj bark painting artist. Gamala taught Arian about the land, sea and culture.

Arian has a wealth of musical experience as acoustic guitarist and co-songwriter for the world famous band, East Journey. Their 'inspiration and material is drawn from manikay (ceremonial song poetry), traditional melodies and instruments that, through guidance and encouragement from their old people is fused together with western and contemporary musical traditions'. Arian aims to use art as a way to educate foreigners about the Yolngu culture so that they can understand Yolngu values and beliefs.

Wukun and Arian demonstrate continual dedication to cultural conservation and knowledge sharing. They hope to inspire others to take the initiative to develop an archive of current cultural and community issues. The purpose of their films is to share and inspire others to embrace technology and culture as a means of self-determination and preservation.

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Bianca Beetson

Bianca Beetson is a Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi (Sunshine Coast) Waradjuri (NSW) woman, born in Roma, Queensland.

As a visual artist, Bianca works in a broad range of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, photography and public art. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts (Honours) from the Queensland University of Technology and is currently a Doctorate Candidate at Griffith University's Queensland College of Art.

As a member of the Campfire Group—an Aboriginal artists' collective—she has had the opportunity to be involved in many projects based on cultural collaboration, including All Stock Must Go, which was included in the 2nd Asia Pacific Triennial at the Queensland Art Gallery in 1996-97. She held her first solo exhibition in Melbourne in 2007 at the Australian Dreaming Art Gallery.

Bianca has won a number of accolades for her work, including the People's Choice Award in the 2008 Wilson HTM National Art Prize and the Moreton Bay Regional Council's 15 Artists award in 2011.

Bianca has work in public and private collections around Australia and overseas, including Art Bank, QPAT, Redcliffe Art Gallery and Queensland Art Gallery. She has undertaken public art commissions for Charlish Park in Redcliffe, the Nambour Coles redevelopment, Coolum boardwalk, Coolum Tavern, Sunshine Coast University and the Mt Coot-tha Botanical gardens.

In 2014, Bianca undertook a six-week artist in residency in Alberta, Canada and in 2015 she undertook a one-month artist in residency at the Kluge Ruhe Museum in Virginia, USA.

When Bianca is not creating artwork, she is a mother to her two boys, a native title applicant for the Kabi Kabi claim, and works as a lecturer in Contemporary Indigenous Australian Art at the Queensland College of Art.

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Bardi Dancers

Two Bardi men in traditional dress talking

The Bardi Jawi cultural dancers are a traditional dance troupe comprised of elders and future leaders of the Bardi nation. The group is based in Ardiyooloon, One Arm Point, in Western Australia.

They are keepers of traditional culture and stories through song and dance, and have performed nationally and internationally.

In Bardi culture, there are many Ilma (dances) the troupe performs at different ceremonies. A particular Ilma they perform comes from 1969, when Billy Ah Choo—a great Bardi leader—had a new dreaming. It tells the story of how he went turtle hunting and was taken out to sea by a big storm.

The Bardi Jawi cultural dancers have performed extensively in Australia and around the world, including at the Fringe Festival in Adelaide, the International Folk Art Festival, the Festival of the Pacific Arts and the G'Day USA program run by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. A particular highlight was travelling to the United Kingdom to perform at Stonehenge as part of the Salisbury Arts Festival in 2006.

More recently, they participated in the 11th Annual Conference of International Funders for Indigenous Peoples, which was an opportunity for them to share their culture with many other indigenous people around the world. In 2015, they performed at the Western Australian Maritime Museum for the Lustre: Pearling & Australia exhibition.

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Australian Delegation to the Festival of Pacific Arts 2016

The delegation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists selected to represent Australia at the 12th Festival of Pacific Arts in Guam in 2016 are;

The delegates showcased a broad range of traditional and contemporary artistic and cultural expressions including dance, music, weaving and net making, photography, literature, storytelling, language, film, theatre, ceramics and lino-printing, painting, pearl shell carving, songwriting, bush tucker and bush medicine, traditional games, fishing and hunting, wood carving, canoe making, feather craft plus many other cultural expressions.

Australia's delegation to the Festival of Pacific Arts was supported by Torres Strait Regional Authority, Creative Victoria, Arts NT and the Western Australia Department of Culture and the Arts. The delegation was also supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland's Backing Indigenous Arts initiative.

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International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022–2032

The United Nations General Assembly has declared the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages to draw attention to the critical status of many Indigenous languages across the world and encourage action for their preservation, revitalization and promotion.

Following on from the International Year of Indigenous Languages in 2019 that sought to raise awareness of the crucial role languages play in people's daily lives, the United Nations has designated the period 2022 to 2023 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (the International Decade).

Australia is a member of the UNESCO Global Task Force for Making a Decade of Action for Indigenous Languages as one of three UNESCO Member States from the Asia and Pacific region. First Languages Australia, Australia's peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, are also representatives on the Global Task Force as one of three Indigenous people's organisations for the Pacific.

All of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are under threat and require ongoing work to be maintained. Australia's approach to the International Decade is guided by the principle of 'nothing for us- without us' as we undertake a decade of activities to stop the loss of First Nations languages.

Across Australia a range of programs are currently in place to support First Nations languages including the Australian Government's Indigenous Languages and Arts program. The program supports community-led language programs delivered by a network of Indigenous language centres across Australia. The centres deliver essential work to preserve, revive and maintain over 150 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. A range of First Nations language and arts projects are also supported through annual funding.

The Australian Government's participation in the International Decade will embed a best-practice approach to working in partnership with First Nations people to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, consistent with Priority Reform one in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (formal partnerships and shared decision making).

The Office for the Arts has established the International Decade of Indigenous Languages Directions Group who has worked in partnership with the Australian Government to develop Voices of Country—Australia's National Action Plan for the International Decade. Voices of Country, launched in August 2023, will guide Australia's ongoing participation in the International Decade.

For more

The Australian Government acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connections to land, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and Elders past, present and future.

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Indigenous Languages and Arts program

The Indigenous Languages and Arts (ILA) program will invest over $37 million in 2024–25 to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to express, conserve and sustain their cultures through languages and arts activities throughout Australia.

Indigenous languages and arts are integral to the identity, connection with culture and emotional health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and are essential to maintaining the vitality and strength of Indigenous communities.

The ILA program includes annual operational funding support to a network of 25 Indigenous Language Centres throughout Australia working on conserving, revitalising and sustaining Indigenous languages. The ILA program also supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to develop, produce, present, exhibit or perform Indigenous arts projects that showcase Australia's traditional and contemporary Indigenous cultural and artistic expressions.

Funding

The ILA program supports community-led organisations with grant funding administered through an annual grant opportunity. Further information about upcoming ILA grant opportunities is available on the ILA program funding page.

Disaster response

We acknowledge the potential impact of natural disasters such as floods and bushfires on all of our programs, including the ILA program. Wherever possible, we will continue to provide administrative support for ILA funded activities and offer flexibility around project delivery. If you have any queries or concerns please contact the ILA team.

Relevant documents

Program logos

The ILA program logos are for grant funding recipients to use to acknowledge Australian Government support for activities funded under the ILA program.

Contact

Phone: 1800 006 992
Email: ila@arts.gov.au

National Indigenous Languages...

The National Indigenous Languages Report identifies the strengths and speaker numbers of Australia’s Indigenous languages, as...

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Domestic repatriation

The Indigenous Repatriation Program—Museum Grants (the Program) supports the return of Australian First Nations peoples' ancestral remains (ancestors) and secret sacred objects (objects) held in the collections of eight major Australian museums to their Traditional Custodians. The eight eligible major museums are: Australia Museum, National Museum of Australia, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Museum Victoria, Queensland Museum, South Australian Museum, Tasmanian Museum and Gallery and Western Australian Museum.

These eight museums are eligible to apply for funding under the Program to work in partnership with identified First Nations communities to return their ancestors and objects. The Australian Government recognises the importance and cultural significance of First Nations communities being directly involved in the repatriation process. It is estimated that more than 3,400 ancestors and more than 2,300 secret sacred objects have been returned to the custodianship of their Communities. Each museum funded under the Program is responsible for the management of their respective repatriation programs. 2024–25 grants are in place for seven of the eligible Museums.

Objectives for the Program are to:

Identify the origin of ancestors and objects held in the collections of the funded museums.
Empower First Nations communities to be involved in the repatriation of ancestors and objects.
Repatriate ancestors and objects in the funded museums' collections to their Traditional Custodians.
Facilitate discussion with Traditional Custodians for culturally appropriate storage and access to ancestors and objects.
Support the engagement and/or employment of First Nations people to provide assistance, support and cultural advice to progress the repatriation of ancestors and objects to their Traditional Custodians.

2023–24 Museum Grant Highlights

The AM returned one ancestor to the Worimi Community. Research was also undertaken to clarify the provenance of several other ancestors and consultation was undertaken with a number of communities, including in relation to more than 200 objects. Work to appropriately store a number of ancestors and objects, including 435 Cyclons, was also completed.
SAM facilitated the return of two ancestors to the Warlpiri community and the reburial of 70 Kaurna ancestors at the Wangayarta, Smithfield Memorial Park. SAM undertook research to confirm the provenance of 96 ancestors and 22 objects from a number of Communities; and made substantial progress towards the establishment of a Ngarrindjeri Resting Place.
Provenance research and other preparations, including reboxing, were made in relation to the return of three Cyclons to the Adnyamathanha Community in South Australia. Discussions were held relating to the return of five Petroglyphs within Tasmania, along with the preparation of custom-built crates for the transportation of the five Petroglyphs.

2022–23 Museum Grant Highlights

In late 2021, the Museum received a request from the Mirning community for the return of nine Ancestors. A request from the Mirning Traditional Lands Aboriginal Corporation (MTLAC) was subsequently made to undertake a visit to the Eucla area to assess possible locations for a re-burial event This visit resulted in the identification of a location near Eucla for the re-burial of ancestors from the immediate area and addressed suggestions to consider a second re-burial location for ancestors recovered from further west.

2021–22 Museum Grant Highlights

In May 2022, the AM returned three Wellington ancestors to community for reburial on Country. The AM reviewed its holdings and developed new master documents for the ancestors and objects they are caring for as well as creating a digital file for each ancestor (351 in total). During the year, the AM also conducted community meetings and consultations to support future repatriations.
The QM repatriated ten ancestors and ten secret sacred objects to Lardil, Yangkaal, Gangalidda, Garawa and Kaiadilt communities in June 2022. The QM also completed construction of a lifting platform to support the physical relocation of a Burnett River Rock engraved boulder which were due to return to Country in late 2022.
SAM returned 61 hair and blood samples to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Corporation. The remains of one ancestor was returned to the Maralinga Tjarutja community and the ancestor was reburied on Country in November 2021.

In December 2021, SAM supported the Kaurna community to rebury 134 Kaurna ancestors at the northern mound of the cemetery within the Smithfield Memorial Park grounds.

In addition, a further 220 Kaurna ancestors from the western areas of Adelaide were reburied in the western mound of the Memorial Park in June 2022.
TMAG undertook consultations with the Pakana community and also packed and crated 15 Petroglyphs ready for their return. TMAG progressed work on the logistical arrangements for transporting the Petroglyphs to the site on Country. The community also undertook preparations at the site, with the return of the Petroglyphs being planned for November 2022.

TMAG returned 14 Pakana/Palawa ancestors to representatives of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre in September 2021.

Museums Repatriation Representatives Meeting

In April 2024, the Department hosted a national meeting of museum repatriation representatives in Canberra. The meeting provided an opportunity for repatriation representatives from the eight museums funded under the Program to workshop repatriation issues affecting First Nations people. Participants discussed a range of topics including temporary care arrangements, grants reporting and cultural objects on loan as well as ways to share knowledge and proposed repatriation activities and challenges for 2024–25. The key outcomes of the meeting were information sharing, improving collaboration and fostering best practice to better support First Nations communities to repatriate their ancestors and objects.

More information

For more information on the Program, email repatriation@arts.gov.au.

For more information about the respective museum repatriation programs and the return of ancestors and objects in their safekeeping, please contact the museums directly.

Indigenous Repatriation

The Australian Government supports the repatriation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains (ancestors) and secret sacred objects (objects) which contributes to healing and reconciliation.
International Repatriation

The Australian Government seeks the voluntary and unconditional return of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains (ancestors) held in overseas collecting institutions and with private holders.

Read more about Domestic repatriation

Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation

The Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation provides advice to the Australian Government on repatriation matters.

Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation

The Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation (the Committee) is an all-Indigenous committee. The Minister for the Arts appoints members of the Committee to advise on policy and program issues related to the repatriation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains (ancestors) and secret sacred objects (objects) held in Australian collecting institutions and ancestors and associated material held overseas.

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Committee role

The Committee provides strategic advice to the Australian Government on issues directly affecting Indigenous repatriation, including:

The Australian Government's Indigenous Repatriation Policy.
The repatriation of ancestors and objects that have limited provenance and no identified community of origin.
Repatriation matters that affect all or many communities (as each community advises on its own cultural protocols for ancestors and objects).
Any other relevant matters.

The Committee also promotes awareness and understanding of the repatriation of ancestors and objects.

Members

Committee members must be of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent. In addition, members must have:

an understanding of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander culture and traditions
experience in Indigenous repatriation and/or cultural heritage work.

Current Committee members are:

Mr Gordon is a Goorang Goorang man from Rockhampton in Queensland. He was reappointed as a Co-Chair of the Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation for a further period of three years in September 2023. Having served two previous terms as a Co-Chair and two previous terms as a Committee Member, Mr Gordon has made a considerable contribution to the Committee and brings 35 years of expertise working in Indigenous cultural heritage, museum practice and repatriation.
Mr Gordon is currently a Community Cultural Consultant advising on museum-related matters. He also provides advice for government agencies on cultural heritage and policy development. He previously held the role of Manager of Indigenous Heritage at the Australian Museum in Sydney where he advised communities on issues such as museum outreach and repatriation of ancestors and significant cultural property.
Together with Ms Grant, Mr Gordon is currently a member of the Australia-France Joint Scientific Repatriation Committee, progressing a way forward for the return of ancestors in French public collections. He and Ms Grant were also members of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies’ (AIATSIS) National Resting Place Indigenous Advisory Committee in 2019 and 2020.
Mr Gordon has also made a significant contribution to the Committee's National Resting Place Consultation Report that considers the long-term care of Indigenous Australian ancestors that have no identified community of origin.
Mr Gordon is a Member of the Strehlow Research Centre Board of Management, and a Member of the Museums and Galleries of NSW's Board of Management’s Aboriginal Reference Committee. He continues to provide advice for government agencies on cultural heritage and policy development.
Ms Grant is a Kuku Yalanji and Mualgal woman from Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands. Having served two previous terms as a Co-Chair, Ms Grant has made a considerable contribution to the Committee. She was reappointed as a Co-Chair of the Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation for a further period of three years in September 2023. Ms Grant brings over 30 years of experience in governance, national and world heritage management and policy development and provides support to Indigenous people.
Ms Grant is currently the Principal Director of CTG Services. She is also a Member of the Reef 2050 Advisory Committee, the Reef 2050 Traditional Owners’ Steering Group, and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity. Ms Grant was previously Chair of the National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) Indigenous Research Ethics Guidelines Review Working Committee and past Chair of 12 years of the AIATSIS Research Ethics Committee.
Together with Mr Gordon, Ms Grant is currently a member of the Australia-France Joint Scientific Repatriation Committee, progressing a way forward for the return of ancestors in French public collections. She and Mr Gordon were also members of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies’ (AIATSIS) National Resting Place Indigenous Advisory Committee in 2019 and 2020.
In 2009–10, Ms Grant Co-Chaired the Australian Government's International Repatriation Advisory Committee, and led, with Mr Gordon, a national independent review on the Indigenous Repatriation Program.
In 2019, Ms Grant as one of the founding members, became the inaugural Chair of the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on World Heritage to represent Indigenous peoples’ concerns for their World Heritage properties and work with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. In 2020, Ms Grant was appointed as a Director to the Board of the Wet Tropics Management Authority (Wet Tropics World Heritage Area), and then appointed as the first Indigenous Chair of the Board in 2021.
Ms Donovan is a Noongar Wadandi Yok (woman) from Busselton in Western Australia. She was appointed as a Committee Member of the Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation for a period of three years in December 2023. Joining the Committee for her first term, Ms Donovan brings her previous repatriation experience and extensive knowledge in First Nations cultural and environmental heritage.
Ms Donovan currently holds the role of Community, Corporate and Policy Manager with Karri Karrak Aboriginal Corporation. She is also a Conservation Commissioner for the WA Conservation and Parks Commission and a former Board Member of the WA Indigenous Tourism Operators Council. Ms Donovan was a former Heritage Officer at the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council based in Perth where she coordinated and facilitated Noongar peoples’ engagement on cultural heritage matters.
In 2017, Ms Donovan was nominated by her Elders to represent her community to repatriate their ancestor who was taken to Canada in the early 1960s.
Diversity is a key characteristic of Ms Donovan’s career path having worked in a variety of different industries, including cultural heritage, farming, environment, economy, transport, disability employment, hospitality and tourism. She has a deep understanding of Western Australia’s biodiversity values, landscapes, peoples and experiences. Ms Donovan is a strong advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to have the opportunity to tell their own stories and care for their country, culture and heritage.
Associate Professor Bianca Beetson is a proud Kabi Kabi, Wiradjuri and Ngemba woman who lives and works in Queensland. She was appointed as a Committee Member of the Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation for a period of three years in July 2024. Joining the Committee for her first term, Associate Professor Beetson brings her repatriation and museum sector experience and extensive knowledge in First Nations cultural heritage.
In 2023, Associate Professor Beetson became the Director of First Nations at the Queensland Museum. She has previously held positions at Griffith University as Director and Senior Lecturer in both Indigenous Research and contemporary Indigenous Australian Art. She has also previously worked as the Kabi Kabi cultural heritage coordinator and native title claim applicant as well as a Brisbane City Council Indigenous Community Development Officer and Arts Project Officer.
Associate Professor Beetson's role at Queensland Museum requires her to be directly involved in the repatriation of First Nations ancestors and cultural materials. She has worked closely with the Office for the Arts to develop activities via the Museums Grants Program.
Associate Professor Beetson's current board memberships include the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (Chair), Arts QLD First Nations arts and Cultures Advisory Panel, Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) Board of Trustees, QAGOMA Risk and Audit Committee, and QAGOMA Indigenous Advisory Panel.
Mr Johnson belongs to the Gweagal Clan of the Dharawal Nation. The Kurnell and Cronulla areas of Sydney are his family's traditional Country. He is a direct descendant of Burragalong (Paddy Davis) and Birranyung (Biddy Giles) who were present at the landing of the Endeavour in Botany Bay in 1770.
Mr Johnson currently works with the Gujaga Foundation and as a Gamay Ranger and is a member of the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Mr Johnson is experienced in the repatriation of ancestors and cultural materials having represented the Dharawal Nation in Austria to perform cultural ceremony and receive his ancestor in October 2023 and was a participant in the United Kingdom delegation to receive the four Kamay spears recently returned from Cambridge University in April 2024.

Contact
Email: repatriation@arts.gov.au
Phone: 1800 006 992

Indigenous Repatriation

The Australian Government supports the repatriation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains (ancestors) and secret sacred objects (objects) which contributes to healing and reconciliation.
Research

The Australian Government facilitates non-invasive research to determine provenance and support the repatriation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains (ancestors) and secret sacred objects (objects).