The RA Rodda Pathology Museum at the University of Tasmania, established in 1966, is currently in possession of about 2,700 human body parts. At least 177 of these were obtained without consent from their loved ones.

Most of these human bodies were collected from individuals who, at the time of their death, required an autopsy. A coroner’s investigation found that, between 1966 and 1991, forensic and hospital pathologists employed by Tasmania’s Department of Health stole these human organs and tissues.

At no point were the families of the individuals contacted for their consent.

This week, Tasmania’s health minister Bridget Archer delivered an apology to the loved ones of the individuals on display. In the audience were people who had lost family members as long ago as 1976, but who were not informed of the display until 2025.

The incident points to a broader issue with how human remains have historically been collected, stored and displayed in Australian institutions.

Stolen bodies, silent museums

Institutional audits in 2023 and 2024 found that, combined, more than 600 ancestral remains from the Pacific region were being stored in the Queensland Museum, the National Museum of Australia, and the Australian Museum. Some of these had been stored in the museums since 1862. More museums in Australia are likely also storing ancestral remains.

These remains include brains, skulls and children’s bones. They were likely obtained........

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