---
title: "Brief for a family on an Inspector-General inquiry into a death"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/precedents/military-and-defence-law/family-death-inquiry-brief"
type: "precedent"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "a64-family-death-inquiry-brief"
area_id: "A64"
kind: "memo"
ai_level: "yellow"
version: 1
task_ids: ["A64-H20261018-9"]
law_stated_as_at: "2026-10-22"
---

# Brief for a family on an Inspector-General inquiry into a death

> Points for a family on an Inspector-General inquiry into the death of an ADF member: what the inquiry is for, that family involvement is usually voluntary, and that a Defence Counsel Services lawyer is not the family's…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/precedents/military-and-defence-law/family-death-inquiry-brief  
Law stated as at: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

Points for a family on an Inspector-General inquiry into the death of an ADF member: what the inquiry is for, that family involvement is usually voluntary, and that a Defence Counsel Services lawyer is not the family's lawyer.

## Key facts

- Kind: Memo. An internal or advice memo.
- Practice area: [Military & Defence Law](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/military-and-defence-law.md)
- Jurisdictions: Australia, Commonwealth
- AI level: Yellow. You and the tool draft together, with you directing. You check every statement you rely on.
- Law stated as at: 2026-10-22
- Status: Maintained. Checked on 2026-10-22 against the authority it cites, for Australia and Commonwealth.

## When to use it

Use when advising a next of kin or another close relation about an Inspector-General inquiry into the death of an ADF member. It is not a statement for the inquiry, and it is not the checklist of formal notices given to a witness.

## Used for these tasks

- [Advise a family on an IGADF inquiry into the death of an ADF member](https://ailawframework.com/practice/military-and-defence-law.md#A64-H20261018-9)

## How AI may be used

AI may list the offers and documents the family has already received; the lawyer decides what the family is told and does not draft what they say to the inquiry.

**AI may:**

- List dates of contact, documents provided, and updates against the monthly interval the page states for a senior next of kin
- Record whether a Defence Counsel Services lawyer has introduced themselves, and that the page says that lawyer acts for the deceased

**AI must not:**

- Must not draft the family's account, a statement, or comments on a draft report
- Must not say the inquiry decides compensation
- Must not describe the Defence Counsel Services lawyer as the family's lawyer

**The lawyer checks:**

- The family is told the inquiry is separate from the police, Comcare, and the Coroner, as the page states
- Participation is described as usually voluntary, and any formal notice is dealt with on its own terms
- A request for the report, a transcript, or travel costs is made to the Assistant Inspector-General rather than assumed

## Authorities

- [Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force, Frequently asked questions, guidance to families and loved ones about inquiries into the death of Defence Force members](https://www.igadf.gov.au/frequently-asked-questions-0)

## Full text and drafting notes

The full text and the drafting notes are not part of this public page. Signed-in firm accounts can read them at https://ailawframework.com/precedents/military-and-defence-law/family-death-inquiry-brief and through the signed-in MCP connector https://ailawframework.com/mcp/firm.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*