Form · Coronial Inquests
Objection to a post mortem examination (Coroners Court of NSW): the senior next of kin's letter, the 48-hour notice and the Supreme Court application
Link to the Coroners Court of NSW guide to objecting to a post mortem, with what the senior next of kin's written objection must contain, how to send it, the coroner's decision, the 48-hour notice and the Supreme Court application, and funeral timing.
- Kind
- Form. A form to complete, or a guide to completing an official one.
- Where it applies
- New South Wales
- AI use
- Yellow AI can help in set ways. A lawyer checks specific points before use.
- Law stated as at
- 18 October 2026
- Status
- Maintained. Checked on 18 October 2026 against the official form at coroners.nsw.gov.au and the 2 authorities it cites, for New South Wales.
- Version
- 1
- Source
- Link to the official form. Licence: © State of New South Wales (Coroners Court of NSW). Link only: follow the current guidance on the Court's page; do not copy it.
Where this comes from
The official form is published by coroners.nsw.gov.au; this page is a completion guide. Last checked on 2026-10-18.
When to use it
Use urgently when acting for the senior next of kin of a person whose death has been reported to the NSW Coroner and who objects to a post mortem examination, for cultural, religious or personal reasons.
Used for these tasks
- Prepare the senior next of kin's objection to a post mortem
- Build the coronial matter register and deadline list
Each task page says how far AI may help with the task and what the lawyer must review.
How AI may be used
AI may help structure the objection letter and keep the deadlines, but the reasons (cultural, religious or personal beliefs) are the family's own words and the lawyer checks every word and sends it urgently.
AI may
- Set out the letter structure the Court's page asks for (the objection, the reasons, any representative) for the lawyer to complete with the family
- Track the 48-hour notice and the Supreme Court lodgment deadline, for the lawyer to diarise
- Check the letter names the deceased and the senior next of kin correctly and includes the representative's details
AI must not
- Must not write or rephrase the family's cultural, religious or personal reasons
- Must not decide whether to apply to the Supreme Court
- Must not delay sending the objection while a draft is reviewed by a tool
The lawyer checks
- The client is the senior next of kin (or acts for them), and the objection is sent immediately
- Reasons for objecting stated in the family's words, including any cultural, religious or personal beliefs
- Any representative (family friend, relative or solicitor) named in the letter
- If the Coroner decides a post mortem is necessary, any Supreme Court application lodged within 48 hours of the notice
- The family told not to confirm a funeral date until the objection is decided
Method: how the Green, Yellow and Red levels are decided. This is guidance for planning, not legal advice.
Official form
Open the official form. Always use the current version from the issuer. Licence: © State of New South Wales (Coroners Court of NSW). Link only: follow the current guidance on the Court's page; do not copy it..
Read the full text
The full text is for signed-in accounts. It is free. When you sign in you can:
- read the whole precedent, with its drafting notes beside it;
- copy it, or download it as a Word file or Markdown;
- add it to your firm’s knowledge base, so colleagues can find it;
- let the AI tools you connect read it from that knowledge base.
The summary, the law it rests on and the AI-use guidance above stay public. Privacy.
More in Coronial Inquests
- Coronial matter register and deadline list (NSW)
- Application for leave to appear at an inquest: letter to the coroner (NSW, sufficient interest)
- Closing submissions on findings and recommendations at an inquest: structure and checklist (NSW)
- Organisation's response to coronial recommendations: letter and implementation register
- Issues-to-witness matrix for an inquest
All precedents for Coronial Inquests · Tasks and AI use in this area