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Coroners Court

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The state coroner, the deputy state coroner and other magistrates acting as coroners, investigate reportable deaths that occur in Queensland.

A reportable death is a death where:

the identity of the person is unknown

the death was violent or unnatural, such as accidents, falls, suicides or drug overdoses

the death happened in suspicious circumstances

a ‘cause of death’ certificate has not been issued and is not likely to be issued

the death was not the reasonably expected outcome of a health procedure

the death occurred in care

the death occurred in custody.

Coroners investigate the circumstances of a death with the aim of preventing similar deaths occurring in the future. These investigations do not focus on laying blame or assigning liability for the death.

Coroners will take into account family and cultural concerns when making decisions about the deceased such as the extent of the autopsy.

If you need information about the status of a coronial investigation, please contact the investigating police officer or the coroner’s clerk. If you are unsure which coroner is handling an investigation, contact the Office of the State Coroner for further assistance.

Legislation

On 1 December 2003 the Coroners Act 2003 replaced the Coroners Act 1958 and introduced significant changes to the way coronial matters are dealt with for deaths occurring on or after 1 December 2003. Futher information is available via the legislation link.

Last updated Tuesday, 20 November 2007 12:18