- The Crisafulli Government has delivered on its election promise establish a Mining and Resources Coroner.
- The Crisafulli Government is making Queensland safer, with new Coroner to investigate fatalities and make recommendations to enhance worker safety.
- Dedicated coroner will investigate fatalities and provide grieving families with answers and closure sooner, after Labor axed critical justice service for the resources sector in 2001.
- The Crisafulli Government is delivering a fresh start for Queensland and a plan for Queensland's future.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering on a key election commitment to make Queensland safer, with the establishment of a Mining and Resources Coroner.
The Coroners (Mining and Resources Coroner) Amendment Bill passed in Queensland Parliament today, with the Crisafulli Government delivering a fresh start for Queensland and making worker safety a priority.
This vital justice service for the resources sector has been restored after Labor axed the former Mining Warden's Court in 2001, putting the safety of workers on the line.
The Mining and Resources Coroner will conduct mandatory coronial inquests into fatalities that occur at any Queensland mine, quarry, petroleum, and gas site, and to provide answers sooner to families of victims.
After passing in Queensland Parliament, the Crisafulli Government is ensuring that workers in Queensland's resource sector are safer by providing recommendations to prevent similar deaths occurring into the future.
The Mining and Resources Coroner will also be able to conduct an inquest into a suicide of a mine worker if it is in the public interest to do so.
It's part of the Crisafulli Government's focus on prioritising the safety of workers in Queensland's resources sector, after a decade of neglect and decline under Labor.
The Mining and Resources Coroner will be available to undertake other coronial duties when not investigating mining-related matters, which will help to ease pressure on the justice system.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for Integrity Deb Frecklington said this Bill will ensure that families get the answers they deserve sooner.
"The Crisafulli Government is delivering on its commitment to put victims first," the Attorney-General said.
"By having a coroner who specifically focuses on investigating mining-related matters, families, or friends of anyone killed in a workplace accident on a site can rest assured that the incident will be thoroughly investigated.
"Labor likes to say they stand up for workers, but their record tells a different story - after their inaction left the hard-working men and women of the mining industry without the accountability they deserved."
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last said the passage of the Bill to establish the Mining and Resources Coroner serves as a solemn reminder of why safety must always come first.
"This year marks 50 years since the Kianga Mine Disaster, a tragedy that claimed 13 lives and left a profound mark on Central Queensland," Minister Last said.
"As we remember the lives we lost at Kianga and other mining disasters across Queensland, we must also pause and recognise the responsibility we carry today to make mine sites safer for the next generation.
"We must never be complacent when it comes to safety, and it's with that spirit that the Crisafulli Government has acted swiftly on our election commitment to establish the Mining and Resources Coroner.
"The passage of this Bill through Parliament this week puts everyone on notice that worker safety is not negotiable."
