Coroners (Mining and Resources Coroner) Amendment Bill 2025

Continued his criticism of the bill's narrow scope, arguing it is a missed opportunity that fails to cover psychological safety, travel safety, and long-term health implications for mining workers.

“It is not just safety onsite. It is the psychological safety of miners and those in the industry, it is the safety of workers as they travel to and from mine sites and it is the safety of workers in terms of ongoing health implications from working in that sector.”— 2025-10-16View Hansard

Supports the concept of a Mining and Resources Coroner but argued the bill is a broken promise as it does not re-establish a mining warden's court and has a narrowed scope that excludes suicides, road fatalities, and mining-related diseases like silicosis and black lung.

“There is no mining warden's court, just a renamed coroner with no new powers and a limitation on what the Mining and Resources Coroner should examine.”— 2025-10-15View Hansard

Moved the second reading and defended the bill as delivering on the government's election commitment to ensure all mining related reportable deaths are thoroughly examined. Argued the bill gets the balance right by establishing a dedicated Mining and Resources Coroner with mandatory inquests.

“This bill ensures the truth and that lessons are learned because that is the moral thing to do.”— 2025-10-14View Hansard

Supported the bill as delivering on the government's election commitment, highlighting the importance of mining and resources to North Queensland and Townsville, and arguing that families deserve proper investigations when tragedy strikes.

“When someone suffers a mining related reportable death, they deserve for it to be investigated and, where the cause is identified, steps to be put in place to prevent deaths from occurring under similar circumstances in the future.”— 2025-10-16View Hansard

Strongly supported the bill as a forward-thinking reform demonstrating commitment to safety, transparency and accountability in the mining sector, and argued the coroner may still choose to conduct inquests for deaths outside scope if in the public interest.

“This bill represents more than a legislative change; it is a strong and clear message to workers, families and industry stakeholders that we are listening and acting.”— 2025-10-15View Hansard

Criticised the bill as a broken promise that does not go far enough, noting it excludes suicides, road deaths and occupational diseases from the Mining and Resources Coroner's scope. Announced Labor would move amendments to address these gaps but would not oppose additional resources for the coronial system.

“What I cannot understand is why the LNP would create a specialist mining and resources coroner and then legislate that they not consider the psychosocial factors that drive mining related suicides. This narrow definition of safety ignores reality.”— 2025-10-14View Hansard

Strongly supported the bill from personal experience as a former geologist at a mine where a worker was killed, arguing the dedicated coroner will improve safety outcomes and ensure accountability in the mining sector.

“There is not a more stark reminder of our mortality than when one of your colleagues gets killed at the same place you work.”— 2025-10-16View Hansard

Stated Labor supports the bill and wants to improve it via amendments, but criticised the government for breaking its promise to re-establish a mining warden's court and for excluding coal workers' pneumoconiosis and suicide deaths from the mandatory inquest scope.

“So while we support this, and we want to improve it via the member for Gaven's very sensible amendments, it certainly goes nowhere near the promises that were made before the election.”— 2025-10-15View Hansard

Strongly supported the bill as delivering on a personal commitment made to families of deceased miners. Argued the role is strikingly similar to the former mining warden and will ensure every work-related death on a mine site is subject to a coronial inquiry with mandatory inquests.

“That question—when are our fallen coalminers and their families going to get justice—gets answered today.”— 2025-10-14View Hansard

Supported the bill as delivering on the government's election commitment, emphasising its importance for North Queensland mining communities and the establishment of mandatory inquests for all mining-related reportable deaths.

“This bill was a key election commitment of the Crisafulli government and we are a government that delivers on our promises.”— 2025-10-16View Hansard

Strongly supported the bill as delivering on the Crisafulli government's election commitment, highlighting that the Mining and Resources Coroner will be based in Mackay and that families of mining fatality victims deserve answers and accountability.

“When that happens, families deserve answers. They deserve to know what went wrong, how it happened and what will be done to stop it happening again.”— 2025-10-15View Hansard

Criticised the bill as a broken promise, arguing the government promised a mining warden's court but instead delivered a limited coroner's role that stops the majority of mining-related deaths being examined. Did not indicate Labor would vote against the bill but strongly criticised its scope.

“It is a bill that gives the coroner a new name and title and a requirement to examine a minority of deaths in the mining industry, but it stops the majority of deaths being examined by this coroner.”— 2025-10-14View Hansard

Supported the bill as restoring accountability within the mining industry, emphasising the importance of mandatory inquests and public findings to improve workplace safety.

“The workers of this industry need to be treated with the highest respect, for it is their blood, sweat and toil that has helped to create wealth of all in this state.”— 2025-10-16View Hansard

Supported the bill in principle but strongly criticised the exclusion of suicides from mandatory inquests, arguing that if workers are taking their lives on a worksite it is a matter of operational safety and the bill misses the purpose of having a dedicated Mining and Resources Coroner.

“What is the point of having a dedicated Mining and Resources Coroner if they do not mandatorily investigate every single death on a mine site?”— 2025-10-15View Hansard

Supported the bill as representing a meaningful commitment to mining safety and accountability, emphasising that mining is one of the biggest employers in his electorate and families deserve proper investigations when tragedy strikes.

“Mining is one of the biggest employers in Mirani. This bill means a lot to our communities. It ensures that when something tragic happens there is a proper investigation and that the loved ones left behind get answers.”— 2025-10-15View Hansard

Indicated Labor supports the bill but argued it does not go far enough, criticising the exclusion of suicide, road fatalities and mining-related illnesses from the Mining and Resources Coroner's mandatory jurisdiction.

“Labor supports this bill—it lays the foundation for a more accountable and responsive coronial system for one of Queensland's most dangerous industries—but, as it stands, it falls short of what mining families and communities deserve.”— 2025-10-15View Hansard

Supported the bill as delivering an important election commitment to establish a dedicated Mining and Resources Coroner, emphasising the importance of mandatory inquests for mining-related deaths.

“This bill is about more than legal reform; it is about doing right by the workers and the families of those who have lost their lives.”— 2025-10-15View Hansard

Supported the bill but criticised the exclusion of deaths by suicide, road fatalities, and occupational disease deaths from mandatory inquests, arguing this limits the coroner's ability to make recommendations that could prevent future deaths.

“This bill delivers a framework. It does not yet deliver the full promise.”— 2025-10-15View Hansard

Supported the bill as an important step towards greater accountability and safety in the mining and resources sector, highlighting the mandatory inquest provisions and family liaison support.

“This bill is a significant step forward in ensuring that every mining related death is subject to a rigorous, independent and transparent investigation.”— 2025-10-15View Hansard

Stated Labor supports the bill but holds concerns about the scope not being comprehensive enough, particularly the exclusion of suicide, road fatalities and mining-related illness and disease deaths from the Mining and Resources Coroner's mandatory purview.

“The Labor opposition supports the bill. The changes bring about a much needed position that will go towards improving the safety and wellbeing of mining and resource sector workers, but we will continue to hold the government to account.”— 2025-10-15View Hansard

Supported the bill as continuing to improve safety standards for the mining sector, noting that approximately one-third of her electorate's workforce is employed directly or indirectly in mining.

“It is only right that we as a state should continue to assess and bring reforms where necessary that prioritise the safety of these workers.”— 2025-10-15View Hansard

Argued this is a lost opportunity, supporting Labor's position that the bill's narrowed scope fails to deliver on the government's promise by excluding suicides, road fatalities and mining-related illnesses from the coroner's mandatory jurisdiction.

“This is a lost opportunity to make a real impact in the mining and resources sector and the missed opportunity has been perpetuated by the black letter of the government's amending bill and the words of its mining minister.”— 2025-10-15View Hansard