Serious academics. Dead subjects. A bit of gossip. Is it appropriate for historians to gossip about the dead? Associate Professors Alecia Simmonds and Leigh Boucher aren't afraid to find out. In The Dead Can't Sue, they poke around in the entrails of Australian history, dishing up the best dirt and juiciest scoops on our nation's dead. Each week, you'll join us for the best dinner party conversations you've ever overheard, as Alecia and Leigh bring you their unfiltered takes. There'll be big names you'll get to know in new ways, as well as names you've never heard of, with jaw-dropping stories. Rebels, divas, convicts, heroes, scoundrels and everything in between.
What this show covers
Joh Bjelke-PetersenAustralian historyFaith BandlerWhite Australia PolicyMigrationChinese Australian historyShanghai20th century historyMedia criticismQueensland politicsPolitical corruptionFitzgerald InquiryPopulismAustralian politicsPolitical biography
What listeners will find here
A glamorous Shanghai life shaped by racism, exile and revolution
Daisy Kwok’s story follows a Chinese Australian family driven from Sydney by racism to 1920s Shanghai, where wealth, glamour and status briefly flourish. The episode traces how the White Australia Policy reshaped one life across two cities and into a far more uncertain China.
How Joh Bjelke-Petersen kept power for decades — and how it finally unraveled
Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s long Queensland premiership is put under the microscope, from the political formula that sustained him to the corruption that helped bring him down. The episode also weighs his villainous reputation and takes a swipe at the media’s role along the way.
How Joh Bjelke-Petersen went from peanut farmer to Queensland power player
Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s early life and political rise take center stage in this first installment on one of Australia’s most polarising leaders. It traces his path from underachieving son to peanut farmer to premier, with plenty of attention to the oddities and warning signs along the way.
Nellie Melba’s fame peaks as her private life turns dark
Nellie Melba’s second chapter follows her transformation from Helen into an international superstar, adored in London’s theatres and touring for the war effort. It also turns to the turmoil behind the image, including domestic conflict, suspicious accidents, and her sudden, peculiar death.
Faith Bandler takes on sugar wealth built on kidnapping and unpaid labour
Faith Bandler’s fight turns from referendum victory to exposing the sugar industry that profited from her father’s abduction and forced labour. A return to Ambrym deepens her resolve as the episode links Australia’s 1800s slave history to farming practices that still echo today.
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