Coroners courts

Only coroners and coroners court staff are eligible to request a coronial report. 

Coronial reports may contain aggregate, statistical information, unit record level data and case summaries. Access to attached case documentation may be available to users with death investigator access. See request access for further information.

 

Request a coronial report

This service is currently unavailable to New Zealand coroners and their staff

Download and complete the request form, providing as much detail as possible. 

 

To submit a request

Email the following information to ncis@ncis.org.au (External link):

  • completed request form.

The NCIS Unit will review your request and contact you regarding next steps.

 

External organisations

Organisations external to the coronial process may be eligible to request a data report. These may include government agencies, academic institutions or research centres, non-profits and community groups, media or other organisations.

Data reports may contain aggregate, statistical information and de-identified case summaries. Identifying details, unit record level data and access to attached case documentation are not available through the data report service. See request access for further information.

What can be provided

  • non-identifying statistics on certain types of death. For example, opioid-related deaths or deaths due to intentional self-harm

  • non-identifying summaries of cases and any coronial recommendations made

  • national data for Australia and New Zealand, or data for specific jurisdictions.

What can’t be provided

  • identifying or unit record level information. For example, names of deceased persons, residential addresses or lists of cases

  • comment on individual deaths, perceived mortality trends or estimates of death figures

  • the status of finalised or ongoing coronial investigations

  • access to coronial documentation, including inquest findings. To request documentation in relation to a specific case, contact the relevant coroners court directly

  • non-fatal injury data

  • information about mechanism of intentional self-harm death for New Zealand cases (as per s71 of the Coroners Act 2006 (New Zealand)).

 

Assessment 

The NCIS Unit will assess your request to ensure it both meets eligibility requirements and is feasible. 

Eligibility requirements include: 

  • Your organisation has a bona fide interest in death and injury prevention.

  • The intended use of the data will meaningfully contribute to death and injury prevention in the community.

  • The data will not be used for personal or litigation purposes. 

The NCIS Unit reserves the right to suppress figures and group certain data breakdowns to ensure the information is sufficiently de-identified. 

The NCIS Unit may contact you during the assessment process to seek clarification or confirm details of your request. 

Data availability  

The NCIS data report service only reports on cases where the coronial investigation has been completed and the case is closed in the NCIS. An 80 per cent case closure threshold applies to data available for each calendar year and jurisdiction to ensure the data is sufficiently representative of the types of cases notified to a coroner. 

The table below outlines the most recently available data for reports on national cases (Australia and/or New Zealand) and for reports on cases from select jurisdictions.

JurisdictionData up to and including
Australia2021
New ZealandAll data currently unavailable
Australian Capital Territory2021
New South Wales2022
Northern Territory2022
Queensland2021
South Australia2022
Tasmania2022
Victoria2022
Western Australia2022

 

Fees 

The minimum data report service fee is A$540 (excl GST). Additional work is charged at an hourly rate of A$180 (excl GST). 

Fees cover the cost of the time taken to identify, analyse and collate the data, and vary depending on the complexity of the request. 

The NCIS Unit will provide you with a written quote outlining cost breakdown, deliverables, and terms and conditions. 

Timeline 

The NCIS Unit will start working on your report upon acceptance of the quote. 

There is a minimum four week turnaround for data report delivery. This includes conducting the search, manually reviewing cases (where required), compiling the report, and seeking coronial approval. 

If this timeline does not suit your requirements, the following publicly available resources may be of interest to you: 

Approval 

The release of a data report is subject to the approval of the relevant state or chief coroner(s). We facilitate the approval process on behalf of requestors. 

If a report is unable to be provided, we will notify you as soon as possible and waive any fees related to the request. 

Report delivery 

Final approved reports are delivered as a PDF with the accompanying invoice. 

 

Request a data report

New Zealand data is currently unavailable through this service

Download and complete the request form, providing as much detail as possible. 

 

To submit a request

Email the following information to ncis@ncis.org.au (External link):

  • completed request form.

The NCIS Unit will review your request and contact you regarding next steps.

 

The NCIS Unit endeavours to acknowledge all requests within two business days. Contact us if you do not hear from us within two business days.