Coroner - Career Advice - Government and Defence

Working with the Coroner

Forensic Pathologist
(on separate page)

Forensic pathologists are specialist medical doctors who have had advanced training in human anatomy, pathology and performing autopsies on people who die of trauma or injury.

For the most part the forensic pathologists deals with deaths that are natural deaths where the death is sudden and unexpected, or the cause is unknown. It is their job to determine the medical cause of death, and sometimes determine manner of death. They also weigh and take samples of body tissue and organs and analyse them and then report back the results and findings of the tests to the coroner.

Only a small percentage of all pathologists are forensic pathologists.

In capital cities a forensic pathologist attached to a state department or institute of forensic medicine performs the autopsy. In country areas a pathologist at a hospital in a large regional centre may perform the autopsy.

Forensic Technician
(on separate page)

Forensic technicians work in the mortuary of a department or Institute of forensic medicine. Forensic technicians assist the forensic pathologist to perform the autopsy, they prepare the body for examination. They drain the fluids from the body, they perform the first incision which typically is a 'Y' incision and take all the organs from the body.

You don't require formal qualifications to be a forensic technician, but there is a Mortuary Science course you can do that will help.

The coroner is a special magistrate associated with local courts. A coroner is legally trained and doesn't need to have a medical qualification.

In Australia it is the responsibility of the coroner to investigate the circumstances, and determine the manner and cause of death for cases that have been reported to them.

In some cases an autopsy will be necessary to determine the cause of death and this is conducted at the morgue associated with the local court.

New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia all have state coroners, in Tasmania the Chief Magistrate is in effect the state coroner, and the Northern Territory has a territorial coroner. Queensland doesn't have a state coronial system at present, but it is currently under review.

In New South Wales there are four fulltime coroners: the State Coroner, a Senior Deputy State Coroner and two Deputy State Coroners.

The Coroner is a Judicial Officer who must be advised when a person dies apparently from unnatural causes or where the cause of death is not known.

Coroners ensure that all deaths, suspected deaths, fires and explosions are properly investigated. In short, the Coroner’s role is to find out what happened, not to point the finger or lay blame.

The Coroner's responsibility

Once a report of death is received, usually from the police, doctors or hospital authorities, the Coroner has legal control over the body of the deceased person and must establish:

The manner in which the death arose;
The cause of death;
The particulars needed to register the death; and
The identity of the deceased.

In some cases the Coroner may comment and make recommendations about public health or safety or the administration of justice, to help prevent similar deaths happening.

Directions There does not have to be anything suspicious about the death for the Coroner to be involved. Many investigations involve people who have died of natural causes.

"Much of the operation of the office of coroner or coroners courts in Australia is centred on injury and death prevention, with the coroner empowered to make recommendations on matters of public health and safety and judicial administration.

Such an approach gives the coroner a dynamic function in contributing to the welfare of the community. As lawyers, Coroners rely upon a range of specialist investigators to provide them with the technical expertise and evidence they need to discharge their responsibilities with regard to the death investigation. These agents of investigation include police, forensic pathologists, engineers, psychologists, physicians and surgeons amoungst others.

Today the medical/pathological aspects of death investigations focused on the pathological examination of the deceased body, is carried out for the most part by full-time forensic pathologists.

Many people think that the Coroner is largely involved in the investigation of suspicious deaths that may have a criminal background such as suspected murders. This is NOT the case. Homicide investigations form a very small part of the work of Coroners perhaps only around 1% of the deaths they investigate. The other 99% of cases reported to a Coroner involve unexplained natural deaths and deaths suspected to be from direct or indirect trauma.

Coroner's court The importance of a Coroners’ investigation is that it can lead to a greater understanding of risks and hazards in our community as well as to improvements in public health and safety. By being empowered to hold a public court hearing (the Inquest) Coroners have a vehicle for raising in public the facts about how a person died and can use the inquest to raise awareness of how that death could or should have been prevented.

In conjunction with the work of the Coroner, other statutory agencies including the police, the Chief Medical Officer of Health and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine form a group of ‘watchdogs’ who maintains a constant surveillance on potentially fatal hazards in our society and ensures that preventable deaths are recognised and brought to the attention of the relevant public and government agencies so that the issues surrounding them can be addressed."

Did You Know?

Richard Fidler interviewed Hugh Dillon on 27 November 2018. CAMEO

Hugh retired from his roles as a NSW Deputy State Coroner and magistrate in 2016. He was deeply engaged by his coronial work, and co-authored several important texts.

He is now an Adjunct Professor at the UNSW Law School, as well as undertaking a PhD.

Listen to his story here

Click here to see the Death Investigation Process - Victorian process image

ANZSCO ID: 271299

Knowledge, skills and attributes

To become a coroner, you would need:

open-minded about how events may have happened
able to break down events and evidence into smaller parts and explore them
aware of laws that you need to know and work with
able to explain difficult, legal and medical terms in an understandable way
tactful and sensitive when dealing with relatives of the deceased
able to think things through and make sensible decisions.

Duties and Tasks

As a coroner, you would:

investigate all reported deaths to determine the cause
decide the cause of death by looking into all the available information
talk to other professionals involved such as the deceased's doctor
order a post-mortem examination if there are questions around the cause of death
if warranted, hold an inquest to determine the identity of the deceased, and how, when and where the person came by their death
notify the relevant authority of the results of any inquest held
write reports and make recommendations about public health or safety or the administration of justice, to help prevent similar deaths happening
make sure that all procedures, and all records, follow the law.

Working conditions

Most coroners work full time.

A coroner is usually a magistrate of the local court in the State in which they are appointed.

Education and training/entrance requirements

Coroners are magistrates, generally of the local court in the State in which they practise law. Magistrates are qualified lawyers with many years of experience hearing criminal cases in court.

To become a lawyer, you have to complete a degree in law at university. To get into these courses you usually need to gain your senior secondary school certificate or equivalent with English. Students are often advised to undertake a combined course that leads to two degrees. The prerequisite subjects required for entry into these combined courses also depend on the non-law component of the combined course.

To become a magistrate, you need to have practised as a lawyer for at least five years, as well as meeting other personal and professional criteria.

Employment Opportunities

This is a highly specialised occupation. Coroners are appointed by the relevant court system in the jurisdiction in which they operate.

Population growth and the resulting potential increase in reportable deaths will likely provide continuing opportunities for those who wish to pursue this occupation.

Did You Know?

Following an inquest, coroners may make recommendations to governments and other agencies with a view to improving public health and safety. The Coroner has no power to enforce compliance with such recommendations. It is a matter for the relevant government minister(s) or agencies to determine whether a Coroner’s recommendations should be adopted.

The Coroner may summon witnesses, and people found lying are guilty of perjury.

Additional powers of the Coroner include the power of subpoena, the power of arrest, the power to administer oaths, and the power to sequester juries of six during inquests.

Further powers of the Coroner include:

• authorising a police officer or other person to enter any place and gather evidence, similar to a search warrant

• the power to retain possession of the body of a person whose death is reportable to the Coroner. Burial or cremation of such bodies must be authorised by the Coroner.

• clearing court in certain circumstances and preventing publication of certain evidence

• authorising or directing post mortem examinations

• authorising the retention of whole organs (if the coroner is satisfied that the retention is necessary or desirable to assist in the investigation of the manner or cause of the person’s death)

• directing the exhumation of a body for the purpose of a post mortem examination.