Grave-robbers, mummies, cyborgs!

11/26/24 • 42 min

Can you own a dead body?
A strange story from 1868 holds the key to ownership of the human body and body parts.
This curious court case continues to impact us in the 21st century... and beyond.
Show Notes
Guest: Dr Marc Trabsky, Associate Professor of Law, La Trobe University
Case: Doodeward v Spence [1908] HCA 45; (1908) 6 CLR 406 (31 July 1908)
www.lifedeathandlaw.com

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Previous Episode

Australia v Japan: Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus

Would you take a friend to court to settle a dispute? Awkward?
This is what Australia did with Japan, a key friend and ally, in 2014 over Japan's refusal to stop killing whales in the Southern Ocean.
Special guest Mark Dreyfus is Attorney-General of Australia.
Mark represented Australia in the culmination of a 40-year diplomatic stoush between Australia and Japan which went all the way to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Case: Whaling in the Antarctic (Australia v. Japan) (2014)
Guest: Mark Dreyfus KC MP

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Next Episode

Frontier Justice: An execution in Melbourne CBD

It’s 1839, and Melbourne is a fledgling frontier, rife with tension between British invaders and First Australians.
The arrival of two Palawa men, Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheener, sparks a chain of events leading to a brutal execution witnessed by thousands in the heart of the city.
Were they criminals, or resistance fighters opposing colonial invasion? This is the untold story of rebellion, violence, and injustice that shaped the early days of Melbourne — and it’s a story that most Australians have never heard.
Guest: Professor Lynette Russell AM, Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor and Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, Monash University
Case: The trial and execution of Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner (Melbourne, 1842)
Further Reading: Auty, K., & Russell, L. (2016). Hunt Them, Hang Them: 'The Tasmanians' in Port Phillip 1841-42. (1 ed.) Justice Press.

Thinking of making a podcast?

You need Miniature Creative, the producer of Case In Point.

Podcasts aren’t just entertaining for listeners. For your brand they build authority, trust and help you create deeper connections with your audience.

Get in touch: www.miniaturecreative.com.au / [email protected]

Case In Point - Grave-robbers, mummies, cyborgs!

Transcript

James Pattison: We start today's episode with a corpse and a question.
[Music]
James Pattison: Now usually when a podcast starts with an image of a dead body, the question is, whodunit? Our question while we stare at that dead body is, what is it?
[Music]
Melissa Castan: James, when does a person stop being a living person and start being a dead thing? Or more specifically, a dead thing that can be owned or traded or altered? Or become property. I've never really thought about the