Coroners Act 2009

A coroner who has jurisdiction to hold an inquest concerning the death or suspected death of a person may dispense with the inquest unless an inquest is required to be held under this Part.

Without limiting subsection (1), a coroner who has jurisdiction to hold an inquest concerning the death of a person may dispense with the inquest if the coroner is satisfied (after obtaining relevant advice from police officers and medical practitioners and consulting with a senior next of kin of the deceased person and any other person that the coroner considers appropriate) that—

the deceased person died of natural causes (whether or not the precise cause of death is known), and

a senior next of kin of the deceased person has indicated to the coroner that it is not the wish of the deceased person’s family that a post mortem examination be conducted on the deceased to determine the precise cause of the deceased’s death.

A coroner who has previously dispensed with the holding of an inquest concerning a death or suspected death may subsequently hold an inquest concerning the death or suspected death if the coroner is of the opinion that the discovery of new evidence or facts makes it necessary or desirable in the interests of justice to hold the inquest.