Role/Decision/Action

Responsibility

Conditions and limitations

Appoint a donations officer (cultural heritage)

Dean, head of department, university librarian or other relevant senior member of staff with responsibility for holding human remains or management burial artefacts (‘responsible unit’)

If appropriate, this role may be filled by the collection manager/curator

(a)     Decide whether to accept any donations of human remains and/or burial artefacts coming into their responsible unit

(b)     Facilitate deaccessioning of human remains and/or burial artefacts from their responsible unit

Donations officer (cultural heritage)

(a)   in accordance with this policy

(b)   as authorised by a dean, head of department, chief librarian or other relevant senior member of staff with responsibility for the collection to be deaccessioned, and in accordance with the policy

When accepting a donation of human remains and/or burial artefacts, ensure that:

(a)     a Deed of Donation/Gift of Non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Human Remains and/or Burial Artefacts is completed

(b)     detailed information relating to the donation, including its provenance, is recorded in Schedule 1 to the deed

(c)      where human remains and/or burial artefacts are being considered for acquisition into one of the University’s cultural collections, the acquisition policy and relevant processes of that collection are also followed.

Donations officer (cultural heritage)

(a)     –

(b)     on advice from an anthropologist, unless the human remains and/or burial artefacts have been commercially sourced and have satisfactory documentation and authorisation

(c)      –

Complete a physical examination of the collection and prepare a Human Remains or Burial Artefacts Recommended for Deaccessioning/Interment form ensuring that:

-        the University’s title to the collection is verified to the extent that it is reasonably possible

-        there are no restrictions or prohibitions for deaccessioning in the original bequest, gift or donation

Donations officer (cultural heritage)

-

Authorise the Human Remains or Burial Artefacts Recommended for Deaccessioning/Interment form

Dean, head of department, university librarian or other relevant senior member of staff with responsibility for the collection to be deaccessioned

-

Assist in making human remains available for repatriation

Donations officer (cultural heritage)

When a request is made for repatriation by a descendant or family, by an indigenous community outside Australia, or by a foreign government (claimant) and subject to the claimant providing evidence of entitlement to those human remains

Ensure that remains are identified and stored respectfully for a maximum of twelve months, arrange a cremation or burial ceremony on behalf of the University so that the human remains are interred in a respectful manner

Donations officer (cultural heritage)

When the University makes a decision that human remains consisting of skeletons, or part thereof, will no longer be used

Implement post-deaccessioning activities and/or external relations activities where required

Donations officer (cultural heritage)

-

Develop a database and cataloguing system for all human remains and burial artefacts at the University to assist international indigenous communities or international governments that may be attempting to locate human remains or burial artefacts that they wish to legitimately claim

Associate Provost

-

Version

Approved By

Approval Date

Effective Date

Sections Modified

1 

Council 

25 August 2014

25 August 2014 

N/A 

2

Governance and Nominations Committee authorised by Council

23 June 2016

21 July 2016

New version arising from the Policy Consolidation Project (consolidating the Human Remains and Burial Artefacts Policy MPF1226 and the Acceptance and Deaccessioning of Human Remains and Burial Artefacts Procedure MPF1290)