Authorities are notified of a man having been ritualistically killed in a highlands village in remote New Guinea. Australian and New Guinean police, and a doctor, set out on foot to investigate. The case then takes a bizarre turn when the murderer seeks a reward for his actions.

This episode is a case from the archives of the APJ – a 1972 article concentrating on the strange phenomenon known as ‘cargo cults’ and how they emerged in some Pacific Island communities who were keen to enrich themselves with western consumer goods.

It’s a compelling story which shows how – just one lifetime ago – Australia was a colonial power with an international mandate to govern other cultures who were facing the challenges of rapidly adjusting to modernity.

This episode includes a narration of an abridged version of the article, using artificial intelligence (AI). On occasion, the article’s author used the word ‘primitive’ in a way which was widely acceptable at the time it was written, but which is now culturally insensitive. Listener discretion is advised.

You can subscribe to the APJ by visiting the website www.apjl.com.au, and clicking on the ‘subscribe’ button at the top of the page.

Organised crime is the focus of this wide-ranging discussion with author, lecturer and academic, Professor Mark Galeotti. Criminal activities canvassed in the chat include people smuggling, the illicit drug trade, slavery, 3D printed weapons, human organ harvesting, and environmental crimes such as the smuggling of sand and counterfeit cacao beans.

Mark’s recent book – Homo Criminalis: How crime organises the world – covers the history and evolution of organised crime. It leaves the reader pondering the future and how authorities should tackle the challenges posed by criminal syndicates, who are professionalising in a process Mark describes as Darwinian.

Mark also talks about Russian organised crime and how it (and Russian society) is likely to change as a result of the country’s illegal war on Ukraine.

Homo Criminalis: How crime organises the world is published by Penguin Books. Mark Galeotti also produces a weekly podcast and regular blog on developments in Russia, called In Moscow’s Shadows.

If you enjoy the podcast but are not a subscriber to the APJ, please become one as subscriptions fund the podcast and the magazine. For more information, go to www.apjl.com.au

Host: Jason Byrnes APM

Guest: Professor Mark Galeotti

This is the third and final episode regarding the police investigation into the 2015 murder of Leeton High School teacher Stephanie Scott. The first two episodes focused on how police identified and brought to justice, the murderer Vincent Stanford. This episode concentrates on Vincent’s twin brother, Marcus.

Because twins have identical DNA, it was important for police to clearly establish Marcus’ location at the time of Stephanie’s death. When police became satisfied Marcus had been in South Australia, he was ruled out as a suspect. As events transpired however, Marcus became an accessory after the fact to murder.

Detectives Tim Clark and Justin Milne talk about their investigation of Marcus and then conclude with their thoughts on how they coped with the strains and stresses of the experiences associated with investigating these grim crimes.

The two crime case articles this series has referenced can be read in the APJ. ‘Merciless and Cold Blooded: The Murder of Bride to Be Stephanie Scott’ is in the September 2019 edition and ‘No End to the Sorrow’ is in the June 2025 edition. Both articles can be read online at www.apjl.com.au.

Host: Jason Byrnes APM

Guests: Tim Clark and Justin Milne