📜 Coroners Amendment Bill 2017

Assented toLABill 1528 June 2017

The Coroners Amendment Bill 2017 amends the Coroners Act 1996 to implement recommendations from the WA Law Reform Commission's 2012 report. It aims to reduce delays in coronial cases by removing the obligation to investigate certain natural cause deaths and to provide detailed findings when not required.

Impact

Families of deceased individuals will be affected by potentially faster coronial processes. The Office of the State Coroner and WA Police will have reduced workloads, allowing them to focus on more complex cases. This aims to alleviate distress for grieving families and improve resource allocation.

Key Changes

["Coroners are not required to investigate deaths due to natural causes if the death is a reportable death solely because it appears to have been unexpected.", "A pathologist's written opinion can be used to determine if a death is due to natural causes.", "Coroners are not obligated to provide a detailed finding on how a death occurred if there is no duty to hold an inquest and no public interest in doing so."]