Coroners Act 2003

A person’s death is a reportable death only if the death is a death to which subsection (2) and subsection (3) both apply.

A death is a reportable death if—

the death happened in Queensland; or

although the death happened outside Queensland—

the person’s body is in Queensland; or

at the time of death, the person ordinarily lived in Queensland; or

the person, at the time of death, was on a journey to or from somewhere in Queensland; or

the death was caused by an event that happened in Queensland.

A death is a reportable death if—

it is not known who the person is; or

the death was a violent or otherwise unnatural death; or

the death happened in suspicious circumstances; or

the death was a health care related death; or

a cause of death certificate has not been issued, and is not likely to be issued, for the person; or

the death was a death in care; or

the death was a death in custody; or

the death happened in the course of or as a result of police operations.Examples of police operations—

• a police motor vehicle pursuit for the purpose of apprehending a person

• an evacuation

However, a death that happened outside Queensland is not a reportable death if the death has been reported to a non-Queensland coroner.

Despite subsections (1) to (3), the death of a person who has self-administered, or been administered, a voluntary assisted dying substance under the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2021 is not a reportable death.

For subsection (3)(b), an unnatural death includes the death of a person who dies at any time after receiving an injury that—

caused the death; or

contributed to the death and without which the person would not have died.

Examples—

• a person’s death resulting from injuries sustained by the person in a motor vehicle accident many months before the death

• a person’s death from pneumonia suffered after fracturing the person’s neck or femur

• a person’s death caused by a subdural haematoma not resulting from a bleeding disorder