Coronial Law Reform

Law Reform Commission of WA, Review of Coronial Practice in Western Australia, Background Paper Project No 100 (2010).

Ranson David , The Coroners Act 2008 (Vic): A Medical investigator's perspective’ (2010) 17 Journal of Law and Medicine 487, 488.

Qld State Coroner's Guidelines, December (2003) 5.5; see also Carpenter Belinda , ‘Increasing the information available to coroners: The effect on autopsy decisionmaking’ (2009) 49(2) Medicine, Science and the Law 101.

Some jurisdictions have legislatively mandated a response to coronial recommendations (in SA and ACT in relation to deaths in custody): Coroners Act 2003 (SA) s 25; Coroners Act 1997 (ACT) ss 75, 76; Coroners Act (NT) ss 26, 27, 46A, 46B. See also Watterson Ray Brown Penny McKenzie John , ‘Coronial Recommendations and the Prevention of Indigenous Death’ (2008) 12(2) Australian Indigenous Law Review 4.

NSW Premier, Memorandum, M2009–12 Responding to Coronial Recommendations <dpc.nsw.gov.au/publications/memos_and_circulars/ministerial_memoranda/2009/m2009–12_responding_to_coronial_recommendations> at 8 November 2010. To view summaries of responses go to <lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/LSB/ll_lsb.nsf/pages/lsb_coronialrecommendations> at 8 November 2010.

Qld Ombudsman, Coronial Recommendations Project (2006), 31.

Qld Dept of Justice and Attorney-General, Queensland Government's response to coronial recommendations 2008 (2009).

LRCWA, above n 1, 45–46.

NSW, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly, 4 June 2009, 15781 (John Hatzistergos, Attorney General, and Minister for Industrial Relations).

See also LRCWA, above n 1, 45; see also Law Reform Committee, Parliament of Victoria, Coroners Act 1985: Final Report (2006) 330–360.

Hurst Daniel , ‘Coroner complains of death probe “difficulties”’, Brisbane Times (Brisbane), 10 August 2010 <brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/coroner-complains-of-death-probe-difficulties-20100809-11tss.html> at 8 November 2010.

Qld Office of the State Coroner, Annual Report 2008–2009 (2009) 4.

See <coronerscourt.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/justlib/Coroners+Court/Home/Investigations/Who_s+Involved/Coroners+Prevention+Unit/> at 8 November 2010.

For a succinct yet comprehensive breakdown of the Victorian changes see Freckelton Ian , ‘Opening a new page’ (2010) 83(6) Law Institute Journal 28.

Watterson Brown McKenzie , above n 4.

Harmsworth v State Coroner [1989] VR 989; Chief Commissioner of Police v Hallenstein [1996] 2 VR 1; R v Coroner Doogan; Ex parte Lucas-Smith (2005) 158 ACTR 1. For comment see Freckelton Ian , ‘Reforming Coronership: International perspectives and contemporary developments’ (2008) 16 Journal of Law and Medicine 379, 389–390; and for discussion see Law Reform Committee, above n 10, ch 7.

LRCWA, above n 1, 45.

WA Inquest (Unreported, WA Coroner's Court, State Coroner Hope, 25 February 2008) 37/07, Executive Summary.

Ibid 9.

LRCWA, above n 1, 45.

See, eg, inquest into the 2008 death in custody, WA Inquest into the death of Ian Ward (Unreported, WA Coroner's Court, State Coroner Hope, 12 June 2009) 9/09, which led to various points of inquiry and response such as the WA Standing Committee on Environment and Public Affairs, Inquiry into the Transportation of Detained Persons (2010); and Dept of Attorney-General, Review of WA's system of Justices of the Peace (2010).