Natural justice and the coroner

Area of Science:

• Coronial Law and Procedure
• Administrative Law
• Civil Procedure

Background:

• Coronial inquests investigate deaths and fires, requiring clear procedural boundaries.
• Apprehended bias is a critical factor in judicial and quasi-judicial proceedings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the Australian Capital Territory Supreme Court's decision in R v Doogan regarding coronial law.
• To clarify the scope and parameters of coroners' inquests.
• To examine the legal standards for apprehended bias concerning coroners and their counsel.

Main Methods:

• Appellate court decision analysis
• Legal precedent examination
• Procedural law interpretation

Main Results:

• The R v Doogan decision offers extensive guidance on coronial inquests.
• It defines the nature and parameters of inquests into fires and deaths.
• The ruling establishes a high threshold for disqualifying coroners based on apprehended bias.

Conclusions:

• The decision provides a sophisticated analysis of coronial law and procedure.
• It will likely make it more challenging to disqualify coroners for apprehended bias.
• The ruling assists in determining the proper scope of coronial inquests.