The Australian Government has appointed six members to the Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation.

The committee provides guidance to the Australian Government on issues relating to international and domestic repatriation of Indigenous ancestral remains, playing a key role in the delivery of the Indigenous Repatriation program.

Mr Ned David has been reappointed as co-chair and will be joined by Miss Zoe Rimmer as co-chair. Mr Phillip Gordon has also been reappointed for two years. Mr Lyndon Ormond-Parker, Ms Carol-Lynn Christophersen and Mr Major Summer AM will join as new members of the committee for a three year period.

The members bring invaluable cultural knowledge and understanding to the important task of repatriating Indigenous ancestors to their communities. I appreciate the commitment of former and new members to working with the government and representing a collective voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on repatriation.

Mr Ormond-Parker is a Research Fellow who has advised and assisted governments, universities, museums and Indigenous communities in the repatriation process for many years.

Ms Christophersen is an anthropologist at the Northern Land Council, Northern Territory. She has been directly involved in international repatriations and studied at the Natural History Museum, London.

Mr Sumner AM is an Ngarrindjeri Elder from South Australia. He has been working with local, national and international communities for over 30 years and was appointed a Merit of the Order of Australia in 2014 for his significant service to Indigenous communities in South Australia.

I extend my thanks to outgoing members Ms Lynette Shipway, Professor Henry Atkinson and Mr Neil Carter for their significant contribution to the Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation between 2012 and 2015.

A key contribution of the committee has been the development of the 2014 National Resting Place Consultation report. The report is important in ongoing discussions about a resting place to care for the remains of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestors that are unable to be returned to their communities.

I also acknowledge the pivotal role of the committee in helping to establish an Australian-French joint expert group, recently announced by Prime Minister, the Hon Tony Abbott MP and French President, Mr François Hollande, aimed at facilitating the return of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains from collecting institutions in France.

Through the Indigenous Repatriation program, the Australian Government is committed to ensuring the return of ancestral remains and secret sacred objects is carried out in a way that is respectful, inclusive and culturally appropriate.

More information about the Advisory Committee for Indigenous Repatriation and the National Resting Place report is available on the Ministry for the Arts website.