The Australian Government announced a key election commitment to support the establishment of a National Resting Place, following a report from November 2018 from the Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The report recommended that the Commonwealth Government consider the establishment of a National Resting Place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestral remains, in Canberra.
The Minister for Indigenous Australians tasked AIATSIS, in conjunction with the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), to coordinate the development of the National Resting Place proposal. The initial phase of this project was for AIATSIS to undertake a scoping study and consultation to complete an initial business case (IBC).
As part of the consultation process and governance arrangements, a National Resting Place Indigenous Advisory Committee was established in October 2019. Details of the members are at Appendix A. This Advisory Committee provided guidance to AIATSIS, the National Resting Place project team and the Commonwealth Agencies Senior Officials Group on matters relating to cultural sensitivities and appropriateness.
The IBC was completed by AIATSIS and provided in March 2020 to NIAA, who had the lead role in managing government consideration of the National Resting Place proposal. The National Resting Place project team finalised completion of preparatory activities for a stage two detailed business case.
The project team, established by AIATSIS to complete the scoping study and consultation, returned to their home workplaces leaving behind a strong foundation for the progression of future activities.
AIATSIS will continue to advocate for the National Resting Place and have indicated to NIAA our willingness to take a lead role in progressing a future detailed business case when a decision by government is known.