PROCEDURES FOR MAKING A CLAIM TO REPATRIATE INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN
ANCESTRAL REMAINS
1. Identify All Relevant Ancestral Remains
Before any formal request is made to Museum Victoria, it is essential to meet directly with staff
to identify and confirm Ancestral Remains relating to your region. To set up a meeting to sit
down and discuss a possible claim, contact:
Rob McWilliams
Email rmcwilliams@museum.vic.gov.au
Phone 03 8341 7331
Fax “Attention: Repatriation” to 03 8341 7679.
Identifying the actual remains that originate from your country requires your specialist
knowledge of your country and that of your neighbours. Where a dispute exists between parties
relating to country or boundary areas, consider excluding those remains from the claim at this
time and focus attention and resources on uncontested ancestral remains. The list generated
will be attached to your request for the repatriation of ancestral remains (see below). All related
information regarding provenance and history (documents, dates and people associated with
the remains) will be disclosed and copies given.
The museum has undertaken a huge amount of work to have remains individuated, that is, to
identify the bones of one individual and put them together. This process also includes
identification of their sex, age and pathology (e.g. evidence of medical conditions during life).
This may still be needed to be done in some instances and requires engaging a physical
anthropologist with the necessary specialist skills. This would only be done with the approval of
the community, so ensure that you organise for Rob (or Lindy Allen who manages the program –
refer to the Repatriation of Ancestral Remains web page at museumvictoria.com.au/collectionsresearch/humanities/repatriation-of-ancestral-remains/ for details) to meet with your Board
and/or Elders Committee and scope the details of the repatriation process.
2. Formal Request for the Repatriation of Ancestral Remains
Museum Victoria requires a formal request in writing for the repatriation of Ancestral Remains.
Send the request to:
Dr J. Patrick Greene
CEO, Museum Victoria
PO Box 666
Melbourne, VIC, 3001
The letter must be on letterhead, signed the responsible senior officer within the organisation
(CEO) or chair of the Board, include a postal address and ABN, and most importantly identify the
contact person for all discussions.
Ensure email and phone contacts (both mobile and landline) are current and that the person will
be available at all times throughout the process.
Attach a separate listing of all ancestral remains identified in the Museum’s collections
(discussed above).
A sheet with signatures of individuals representing each of the families or traditional owner
groups within the claim area is useful to attach to any claims.
3. MV Approval Process
The museum will:
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assess the request in line with legislative requirements and objectives and key principles
set out in MV’s repatriation policy
make a recommendation to the museum’s Executive Management Team to take the
claim to the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee (ACHAC), a sub-committee
of the Museums Board of Victoria
make a submission to a meeting of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee
for endorsement
make a submission to the Museums Board of Victoria for approval of the claim and to
formally deaccession the ancestral remains from the State Collections.
Please note that the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee members may raise
questions that need clarification. These are followed up by museum staff with the claimants and
a report made back to ACHAC at a subsequent meeting. No recommendations to the Board will
be made by ACHAC until the issue is resolved.
The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee meetings for 2015 are:
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Wednesday 18 March (Papers due 4 March)
Wednesday 2 June (Papers due 20 May)
Wednesday 2 September (Papers due 19 August)
Wednesday 25 November (Papers due 11 November)
Once the claim is endorsed by ACHAC, it is tabled for approval at the next meeting of the
Museums Board of Victoria.