Tasmanian museum kept and displayed 177 human remains without families’ knowledge, report finds

Human specimens were collected, and in some cases publicly displayed, by a museum for decades without the knowledge or consent of families.

The University of Tasmania’s RA Rodda Museum collected remains from coronial autopsies from 1966 to 1991 for teaching and research purposes.

A coronial probe was launched in 2016 after the museum’s curator raised concerns three specimens had been kept without the consent or approval of the coroner or families involved.

The investigation’s final report, published on Thursday, confirmed 177 samples had been kept by the museum without permission.

It appeared previous coroners were unaware the specimens had been distributed to the museum, coroner Simon Cooper said.

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The handling of the remains was not in accordance with