The Australian Government has supported international repatriation for over 35 years. This has seen the repatriation of over 1785 ancestors. The Australian Government maintains its commitment to securing the return of ancestors held overseas so they can be returned to their Traditional Custodians or held in safe care in Australia until their Traditional Custodians can be identified.

We are currently working with collecting institutions in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, India, Switzerland and New Zealand to progress repatriations. We have a joint arrangement with France and are working closely with other countries to advocate for the return of ancestors. When the Traditional Custodians are known, we work closely with them as they advise on the return of their ancestors, cultural protocols and any access and controls for associated material. The Traditional Custodians make all decisions regarding the final resting place of their ancestors.

International repatriation infographic—Japan—June 2025—png

More information

There is more information on international repatriation on the fact sheets below. You may also like to listen to the experiences of Jim Bett’s, the department’s Secretary, who participated in a repatriation in April 2025 to return 36 Queensland Aboriginal ancestors from the Natural History Museum in London, United Kingdom.

Contact:

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

  • International highlights

    The Australian Government has supported the return of over 1,730 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains (ancestors) from overseas institutions and private holders for over 30 years.

  • Domestic repatriation

    The Indigenous Repatriation Program—Museum Grants (the Program) facilitates the return of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestors and secret sacred objects held in eight major Australian museums to their communities of origin.