Seek to appear at a Queensland inquest under section 36
MaintainedLast reviewed
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- List the facts of the client's connection that the lawyer has noted, against section 36. Do not draft the request to appear and do not assert a right to appear or to examine witnesses.
- What the lawyer must review
- Decide whether the client is a person the court may treat as having a sufficient interest
- Do not treat the family-member example as an automatic right to appear
- If the interest is only a public-interest comment, confirm that examination of witnesses needs leave
Rules that apply
The document starts from the task name. Change it if this piece of work is different.
The work product
Forum. Coroners Court of Queensland
Produce. A fact list against section 36, for the lawyer to use when writing the request to appear.
Have ready. Lawyer's note of the connection; Whether the client wants to examine witnesses; Scope of any comment the coroner might make.
Example of the limit. Illustrative example: The client is a parent of the person who died. The list records that relationship and that the lawyer is considering examination of the treating doctors. It does not say the parent may appear as of right.
Stop and hand it back when
- The list says a family member may appear without the court considering sufficient interest.
- Cross-examination is promised where section 36(3) may apply.
Sources for this task were checked on 2026-10-23.
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | List the facts of the client's connection that the lawyer has noted, against section 36. Do not draft the request to appear and do not assert a right to appear or to examine witnesses. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Section 36(1)(c) is the usual path for a family. The Coroners Act 2003 lists a family member as an example of a sufficient interest, not as a separate right.
- If the court would treat the interest as only a public-interest comment under section 46(1), section 36(3) prevents examination of witnesses without leave and limits submissions to a comment matter.
- Section 36(4) allows a person with a sufficient interest to be represented by a lawyer.
- Do not promise that the family can cross-examine. Examine includes cross-examine, and the limit in section 36(3) still applies where it is engaged.
Forms and precedents for this task
| Form or precedent | Kind | AI use | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application for leave to appear at an inquest: letter to the coroner (NSW, sufficient interest) | Letter | AI use Yellow | A letter to the coroner (through counsel assisting) seeking leave for a person or organisation to appear and be represented at an inquest under s 57 of the Coroners Act 2009 (NSW), explaining the person's sufficient interest and the issues they will address. |
| Application for leave to appear as an interested party (Coroners Court Form 31) | Form | AI use Yellow | Link to Coroners Court Form 31. |
| Requesting a Queensland inquest: pathway, dates and pre-inquest conference | Checklist | AI use Yellow | Pathway for asking a Queensland coroner to hold an inquest, including the six-month decision period, the 14-day next step, and what a pre-inquest conference decides. |
| Non-publication or closed-court order at a NSW inquest: structure (s 74) | Checklist | AI use Yellow | Structure for asking a NSW coroner to close the court or prohibit publication of evidence or of submissions about an indictable offence, using the public-interest matters in s 74. |
| Family conference before an inquest: agenda | Checklist | AI use Yellow | An agenda for a conference with a family before a NSW inquest: leave to appear, the issues list, what the family will and will not hear, and who speaks to the coroner. |
Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one. All precedents.
Sources
- Coroners Act 2003 (Qld) s 36, right to appear · 2026-10-23
- Coroners Act 2003 (Qld) s 27, when an inquest must be held · 2026-10-23
The Queensland Courts generative AI page was opened for civil courts and tribunals. It was not a Coroners Court practice direction. Do not treat it as one.
The lawyer settles anything sent to the Coroners Court.