Access to Inquest findings
A coroner’s finding is the formal outcome of an investigation into a death and sets out the coroner’s determination as to the identity of the deceased, the cause of death, the circumstances surrounding the death, and the particulars to register the death. Coroner’s investigations may be concluded by way of administrative findings or findings following a public inquest hearing.
Administrative findings are private documents that are provided to the family of the deceased. They contain a brief summary of the relevant factual circumstances and the formal findings only. They are not made public.
Findings made pursuant to a coronial investigation finalised by way of an inquest are generally able to be accessed by the public, subject to the limitations set out below. These findings may contain additional comments about matters of public safety, the administration of justice, or on the quality of supervision, treatment, and care of the deceased if they were held in custody or care. Inquest findings may also include recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths in the future.
Since 2012, the Coroner’s Court has developed a general practice of publishing inquest findings online. Therefore, most inquest findings from 2012 onward are publicly available on the Court’s website. The findings may, in some cases, be redacted in compliance with non-publication orders or for other reasons, as determined by the Presiding Coroner or the State Coroner.
Findings from inquests conducted under the Coroners Act 1996 (WA) but pre-dating 2012 are not available on the website but may be considered for release upon request to the Court. The decision to release will be made on a case-by-case basis and will depend on the applicant and the reason(s) given for the request. Some findings may be subject to non-publication orders, contain sensitive or distressing content or raise questions of procedural fairness, which may limit what is released.
Findings made under the Coroners Act 1920 (WA) are considered historical records. Due to the absence of a centralised coronial system and varying practices across regions prior to the commencement of the Coroners Act 1996 (WA), these records may be difficult to locate or interpret as record-keeping from that period was not always consistent or complete. As a consequence, these findings are not published online by the Coroner’s Court and requests to the Court for release are generally not successful. Some historical records may be available through the State Library of Western Australia.
Digital archives for WA newspapers are available on Trove [Digitised Newspapers and Gazettes - Trove] mostly up until 1955 and after that at the State Library in microfilm.
How to Request Access
Email your request to the Listings Manager at [coronerlistings@justice.wa.gov.au] with:
- Full Name of the deceased;
- Date of death/inquest (if known);
- Your relationship to the deceased; and
- You reason for the request.
You will be advised of any additional requirements.
National Coronial Information System (NCIS)
The NCIS holds Western Australian coronial data from 1 July 2000 onwards and may assist researchers and agencies. Visit [www.ncis.org.au] for more information.
Last updated: 2 October 2025