The Experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Participants in Australia’s Coronial Inquest System: Reflections from the Front Line

Abstract

This article explains the way that Australian coroners’ courts often fail Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We discuss the gap between the expectations of families of the deceased and the realities of the process of the coroner’s court. The discussion is illustrated with reference to real-life examples, drawn from the authors’ experiences representing the families of the deceased.

Keywords

• coronial
• inquest
• death
• australia
• indigenous
• aboriginal