On Monday 14 November, the ABC’s 7.30 Report aired a prime-time feature devoted entirely to the valuable work carried out by the Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Command in the process of returning artefacts held in Australian museums.
There was widespread coverage of the announcement that some of the artefacts identified in the digital catalogue would be returned to Italy by the Classics Museum of the Australian National University in Canberra.
It is one of the Australian universities with which the Italian Embassy is in contact to facilitate the return of stolen or looted objects. Among those interviewed by the Australian public broadcaster was the First Commissioner of Police, Mario Argenio, who spoke about the international dimension of the phenomenon.
The Italian Ambassador to Australia, Paolo Crudele, praised this good example of cooperation, describing it as “further proof of the solid bond of friendship between the two countries”. Over half a million viewers (15% share) tuned in to the ABC to watch the programme.
