Repatriation fund seeks to restore respect and build future relations

The Palaszczuk Government has established a new fund to accelerate the repatriation of the ancestral remains of Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, so that they can be laid to rest in their traditional lands.

Treasurer and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Curtis Pitt said the Queensland Government had kick-started the fund with a $100,000 donation in partnership with $50,000 from the Queensland Museum Foundation.

“As a society, we have a long overdue obligation to right the wrongs of the past and repatriation is one significant way that we can advance the process of reconciliation and healing,” Mr Pitt said.

“We know that the repatriation of ancestral remains will be a sensitive and costly procedure involving complex social, cultural and historical issues.

“This initial $150,000 kick-start to the new fund will employ an officer dedicated to negotiating repatriations and educating the community on the process, with additional moneys leftover to start repatriating remains.

“Our driving force is to return Ancestral remains and other objects to country so the healing can begin and we’re now looking for corporate partners to work with us in contributing to this project of tremendous historical and cultural significance.”

Up until the 1970s the remains of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were collected by individuals and institutions around Australia and internationally.

Mr Pitt said some were taken for scientific study and others, shamefully, as trophies.

“Ancestral remains, burial goods and sacred objects were removed without the permission of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and with disdain for their laws and customs,” Mr Pitt said.

“Specifically, this defies the Indigenous belief that the spirits of the dead cannot rest until they are returned to country. It is now illegal to possess these items.

“In situations where it might not be possible to identify remains or return them to their traditional lands, the decent thing to do will be ensure their remains are stored in a manner that shows respect to the customs and beliefs of the first Queenslanders.

“We will be seeking partnerships with business groups, philanthropic organisations and universities with specialist staff to help us to restore dignity to these Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people whose graves were robbed.”

The Queensland Museum Repatriation Trust Fund will be administered by the museum’s board and overseen by the Queensland Museum Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Consultative Committee.

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