The Tasmanian government has issued a formal apology for a decades-old scandal involving the unauthorized retention and display of human body parts taken during autopsies without the families’ consent. The wrongdoing, which occurred between 1966 and 1991, was uncovered following an investigation that revealed pathologists had “actively sourced” 177 human specimens from autopsies and transferred them to a university museum.

State Health Minister Bridget Archer addressed parliament on Tuesday, acknowledging the “enduring distress, anger, pain, grief and trauma” experienced by affected families. “Although these historical practices ended 35 years ago, the deep impact this has had on the families and loved ones of the deceased continues to this day,” she stated. “It’s important to remember that these were not just body parts or specimens or human remains. They were people.”

For Cheryl Springfield, whose brother David Maher died in a car accident at age 14 in 1976, the apology was a step in the right direction but insufficient. “It’s in the right direction, but it’s not going to fix it all,” she told local media. Her devastation upon learning that her brother’s body parts were part of the investigation has been described as “an absolute nightmare.” Similarly, John Santi, who was 13 when his older brother Tony died in a motorcycle accident in 1976, expressed his disbelief: “We buried him 50 years ago, only to find out 50 years later that these people had stolen his brain.”

The scandal first came to light in 2016 when concerns were raised about specimens displayed at the University of Tasmania’s RA Rodda Museum in Hobart. This prompted the state coroner to order an investigation in April 2023. Coroner Simon Cooper’s findings, released in September, identified the late forensic pathologist Dr. Royal Cummings as the primary source of the specimens, though he noted that his predecessors and successors also engaged in the practice. The 177 specimens, including organs and tissue samples, were removed from display in 2018.

University of Tasmania’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Health, Professor Graeme Zosky, acknowledged the gravity of the situation following the government’s apology. “While we recognise an apology cannot fix the hurt and distress families have felt, we are sorry,” he said, noting that university staff had met with many affected family members. The RA Rodda Pathology Museum, established in 1966 to support medical science teaching and research, remains at the center of this ongoing controversy.