NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

REPATRIATION OF CULTURAL ARTEFACT TO JORDAN

CANBERRA, ACT

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Your Excellency Mr Ayman Safadi Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

It is a pleasure to welcome you to Canberra and to the National Gallery of Australia. Your Excellency, I sincerely thank you for joining us on this important occasion.

I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather, the Ngunnawal and Nambri peoples, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.

Indeed, respect is precisely why we are gathered here today.

This ceremony is about more than the return of a significant artefact of Jordanian history. It is a reflection of the respect our nations have for one another, and of our shared belief that cultural heritage deserves to be cared for with integrity and dignity.

This architectural fragment is remarkable not only for its age and historical significance, but for the story it carries with it – a story that spans both millennia and oceans.

As our understanding of the significance and provenance of this artefact has deepened, so too has the recognition that it must be reunited with the other elements of this unique work in Jordan.

There is something deeply meaningful about restoration and reunion. About seeing something long separated returned to its rightful context. In making that possible, we honour not only the history of this object, but our responsibility to future generations who will learn from it.

This moment has been made possible through the dedication of many people: governments, museums, universities, researchers and cultural institutions working together in a spirit of goodwill and shared purpose.
I want to acknowledge the National Gallery of Australia, the Government of Jordan, and all those whose commitment, diligence and care have helped bring about this reunification.

On behalf of the Australian Government, I am honoured to mark this occasion and to celebrate the friendship between Australia and Jordan.

May this act of return stand as a symbol of the trust, respect and understanding that continue to strengthen the ties between our peoples.

It is a privilege to hand the Natufian architectural fragment back into the care of Jordan.

It is now my honour to invite His Excellency Mr Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates to speak.

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