A close image of Pharaonic artifacts officially handed by Australia. Photo courtesy of Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
Egypt's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nabil Habashi, and Egypt's Ambassador to Australia, Hani Nagi, attended the ceremony.
The Egyptian foreign ministry stated on Thursday that Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs, Immigration, Arts, and Cyber Security, and Leader of the Government in the Federal House of Representatives, Tony Burke, attended the restitution.
The restitution crowns several years of arduous diplomatic and legal efforts by the Egyptian Embassy in Canberra and the Consulate General in Sydney, in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The case for returning these artefacts has been litigated before Australian courts since 2019.
On 3 September 2025, the High Court of Australia ruled in favour of returning the artefacts to Egypt, ordering seventeen artefacts, previously held by a private company, to be seized and repatriated to Egypt.
The ruling underscores Australia’s commitment to safeguarding shared human heritage and preventing the illicit trade in cultural property.
Habashi welcomed the Australian government’s decision, describing it as a timely step that coincides with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Egypt and Australia.
He added that returning these artefacts, which coincides with the Grand Egyptian Museum’s (GEM) official inauguration, testifies to Australia’s commitment to strengthening cultural cooperation with Egypt and combating trafficking in antiquities.
Habashi also highlighted that Australian tourism to Egypt has increased by 11 percent in the first half of this year.
Moreover, the two sides discussed the prospects for expanding cooperation between Egypt and Australia in artificial intelligence, digital security, and countering organized crime and terrorism.
Habashi also tackled Egypt’s interest in integrating qualified Egyptian workers into Australia’s seasonal labour schemes, as well as opportunities in Australia for Egypt’s skilled workforce.
For his part, Burke praised the Egyptian community’s significant role in Australia, extolling the community as one of the most law-abiding and well-integrated groups in Australian society.
He emphasized that many Egyptian Australians hold senior leadership and professional roles, thus creating favourable conditions for advancing future cooperation on migration and labour mobility.
Short link: