Work out whether a New South Wales death is reportable and an inquest is required
MaintainedLast reviewed
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- From the reports the lawyer marks, list the facts against the section 6 circumstances that were opened and against section 27, and cite the paragraph each fact is said to meet. Do not classify the death.
- What the lawyer must review
- Decide whether section 6 makes the death reportable, reading the whole section
- Decide whether section 27 requires an inquest, including homicide and any jurisdiction under section 23
- Open section 23 before treating a custody death as mandatory
Rules that apply
The document starts from the task name. Change it if this piece of work is different.
The work product
Forum. NSW coronial jurisdiction under the Coroners Act 2009
Produce. A classification note citing the opened parts of section 6 and section 27, without a conclusion.
Have ready. Police and medical reports; Lawyer's instructions on any procedure, mental health facility or possible homicide; Current section 6 and section 23.
Example of the limit. Illustrative example: The medical report says the death after anaesthesia was not expected. The note quotes that fact against section 6(1)(e) and leaves the reportable-death decision blank. It does not say section 27 requires an inquest.
Stop and hand it back when
- The note treats the opened list of section 6 as exhaustive.
- A custody conclusion is stated without section 23.
Sources for this task were checked on 2026-10-23.
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | From the reports the lawyer marks, list the facts against the section 6 circumstances that were opened and against section 27, and cite the paragraph each fact is said to meet. Do not classify the death. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Section 6, as opened, includes a violent or unnatural death, a sudden death the cause of which is unknown, a death in suspicious or unusual circumstances, a death that was not the reasonably expected outcome of a health-related procedure, and a death of a patient in or temporarily absent from a declared mental health facility.
- Do not treat that list as complete. The opened text moves from paragraph (c) to paragraph (e). Read the current section before a paragraph is said to be missing.
- Section 27(1) requires an inquest if it appears the person died or might have died as a result of homicide, not including suicide; if jurisdiction arises under section 23; if it has not been sufficiently disclosed whether the person has died, or the identity and the date and place of death have not been sufficiently disclosed; or if the manner and cause have not been sufficiently disclosed, unless an inquest has been suspended or continued under section 78. Section 27(2) says an inquest is not required under this section if it appears an inquest or other official inquiry has been or is to be held outside the State.
- Section 23 was not opened. Do not describe a custody death as within section 27 until that section is read.
Sources
- Coroners Act 2009 (NSW) s 6, meaning of reportable death · 2026-10-23
- Coroners Act 2009 (NSW) s 27, when an inquest is required · 2026-10-23
A health-related procedure in section 6 includes administration of an anaesthetic, sedative or other drug, and excludes a procedure the regulations exclude.
No Coroners Court generative AI practice note was opened.