Indigenous remains coming home from UK

Indigenous remains held by the University College in London are being brought home
in the care of their descendants to two Aboriginal communities in Victoria.
The remains of three individuals from the Gunditjmara community, and one from the
Dja Dja Wurrung community, were handed over during a ceremony in London.
They are expected to arrive back in Australia on July 24 when they will be welcomed
by their communities.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin said the government, which sponsored the
repatriation delegation, was committed to working with indigenous people, overseas
governments, museums and private collectors to improve the repatriation of ancestral
remains to Australia.
"University College's willingness to repatriate Indigenous remains promptly,
respectfully and unconditionally is an important example for other institutions and
collectors," Ms Macklin said.
Since 1996, more than 1,000 indigenous remains have been brought back to Australia,
166 of them from 18 institutions since 2004.
However, more than 1,000 indigenous Australian remains are still held in museums
around the world.
The federal government recently announced it would overhaul the process for the
repatriation of remains from institutions, including establishing a new
International Repatriation Advisory Committee.