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Thank you Madam Speaker,
I rise today to update the House and the Tasmanian people on the Government's response to the Coroner's Record of Investigation and findings in relation to human remains retained following coronial autopsies between 1966 and 1991 at the Rodda Museum in Hobart.
I want to start by acknowledging the deep hurt this has caused, especially for the friends and family of loved ones affected by these historical practices.
These revelations have been both traumatic and devastating, and this has been made very clear to the Government, both first-hand through meeting with those impacted and through other MPs.
As members are aware, the Coroner's Report found that specimens taken during post-mortem examinations were retained and exhibited in ways that disregarded the dignity, autonomy, and cultural beliefs of individuals and communities.
The Coroner confirmed that between the 1950s and early 1990s, 177 specimens of human remains were retained without lawful authority or consent.
To the family and friends of those individuals, we offer our deepest and most sincere apology.
This abhorrent practice represented a profound breach of trust, and a failure to uphold the ethical standards expected of health and research institutions.
It is important to state that these actions occurred prior to the Coroners Act 1995 coming into effect.
There are rigorous processes that have been implemented by the State Forensic Pathologist to ensure this will never happen again.
It is also important to make clear for the record that the Department of Health has advised that the three current forensic pathologists employed by the Department were not involved in these historic matters.
However, given the horrific and unacceptable nature of these circumstances, it is very clear that more needs to be done to ensure that anyone involved is held accountable.
The Attorney-General has already written to both the DPP and Tasmania Police to make them aware of the Coroner's Report.
I can confirm I have also instructed the Department of Health to undertake further work to establish, as far as is possible, the identity of any employees within the Department during the period of the 1950s through to the early 1990s who may have been involved in the retention of remains without lawful authority or consent.
While the Coroner's Report identified one individual, now deceased, as being primarily responsible for the unlawful retention of body parts, and did not identify any others who may have been involved, it is important for the families that we do what we can to investigate further and if further information is found, to pass those details on to the appropriate authorities.
As the Coroner's Report said:
"It appears at this stage that now dead Forensic Pathologist, Dr Royal Cummings, was the person who provided the large majority of coronial specimens to the museum."
"However, it also appears that his predecessors and successors also engaged in the practice."
Given these comments in the Coroner's Report, I have directed the Department to review all available historical records and to engage with UTAS to establish any further information relating to the unlawful retention of specimens, which can be provided to the relevant authorities for their consideration and potential action.
I can also confirm that the Government will facilitate a formal parliamentary apology, on behalf of the State, to appropriately recognise the immense harm caused.
It is our intention for the formal parliamentary apology to be delivered in the first half of 2026, and I can assure everyone that the families of those affected will be closely consulted in its development.
This formal apology is an important step for the Parliament to acknowledge and apologise for the pain and trauma associated with these practices.
It is important that we take care to coordinate and deliver this apology in a trauma-informed way, allowing families who wish to be present to be here, and to allow Members from all sides of Parliament to participate.
We will work with Members of Parliament to coordinate the timing and format of the formal apology, and we thank those Members from both houses who have represented the concerns of the families and assisted families through the Coronial process, which we know has been very difficult for many families.
Madam Speaker, as the Minister for Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing, I am very committed to ensuring the highest possible standards from my Department.
While we cannot change the past, it is vitally important that we learn from what has happened, and ensure that we do all we can to hold those responsible to account, and that's exactly what we are doing.
