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.

Hear about repatriation

David Johnson addresses the Forum of Discussions on Indigenous Peoples as part of the Subsidiary Committee of the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation, 20 May 2026. The work of the Advisory Committee contributes to the global discussion addressing the impacts of colonial collecting practices and strengthens First Nations voices in advocating for the voluntary and unconditional return of ancestors and cultural heritage material.

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.
Mr Stephen is from the Community of Ugar in the Eastern Cluster of the Torres Strait. He became a Leader in his community in 1997 and was recently elected in 2024 local government election as a Councillor with Torres Strait Island Regional Council for Division 13 Ugar Island. He has also been a Member for Ugar on the Torres Strait Regional Authority Board (TSRA) and sits on different committees locally and regionally representing his community and the region.
Mr Stephen has worked 18 years with the Department of Agriculture as a Biosecurity Officer and since his resignation he has turned his focus to business opportunities on Ugar. He has completed a range of qualifications in local government and Indigenous leadership and is looking to undertake studies through university to further his courier part in Business.