Who must notify the Coroner of a reportable death (state)?
The applicability test for Notify the Coroner of a reportable death (state), computed across 35 industries, 9 business structures and 6 size bands.
Short answer: Some businesses
Applies when the business has industry: Health practitioners or approved aged care provider status or NDIS services.
What the obligation is
Health practitioners + others must report certain deaths to the State Coroner.
Each state has a Coroners Act setting circumstances requiring coronial notification — unexpected, violent, in care/custody, identity unknown, etc. Health practitioners + family + persons present must notify the relevant Coroner.
The applicability test
Applies when the business has industry: Health practitioners or approved aged care provider status or NDIS services.
How the regulator frames it: Health practitioners, aged care providers, NDIS providers, police, family.
What triggers it: Death meeting reportable criteria.
Jurisdiction: Commonwealth law, so the test is the same in every state and territory.
Which industries are in or out
Outcome across the 35 industries Rules Mate maps (3 of 35: yes; 32 of 35: no).
| Industry | Answer |
|---|---|
| Aged care providers | Yes |
| NDIS providers | Yes |
| Health practitioners | Yes |
| No | 32 other industries |
Business structure and size
Structure does not change the answer in the 3 industries it can reach: for every structure the answer is "yes".
Size does not change the answer in the 3 industries it can reach: at every size band the answer is "yes".
Worked examples
Each line is one run of the Rules Mate applicability engine for a single business profile, with the reason the engine gives:
- Pty Ltd company in aged care providers with 6–19 employees, turnover $1M–$3M: applies. Aged care provider.
- Pty Ltd company in real estate agents with 6–19 employees, turnover $1M–$3M: does not apply. Requires industry: Health practitioners or approved aged care provider status or NDIS services.
Answers that bring it into scope
Starting from a small or large professional services company that does not otherwise meet the test, each of these single facts changes the engine's answer:
- The business is a registered NDIS provider: it then applies (registered NDIS provider).
- The business is an approved aged care provider: it then applies (approved aged care provider).
What you must do, and when
- When due
- Immediately on awareness.
- Frequency
- When a triggering event occurs
- Evidence to keep
- Coroner notification; medical certificate of cause of death not to be issued where reportable.
- Status
- Current
- Priority
- Critical
Penalty for not complying
Maximum penalty: Criminal penalties for failure to report under state Coroners Acts.
Criminal liability
Audit or assurance level
Rules Mate has not yet classified the audit or assurance level for this obligation. Any audit, review or certification requirement is set by the regulator source listed below.
What usually applies alongside it
Across the 1,890 business profiles Rules Mate evaluates, these obligations apply to most of the businesses this one applies to, and are far more common among them than among businesses generally:
- Make mandatory notifications to AHPRA: applies to 100% of the same businesses (11.7× the overall rate)
- APP 12 & APP 13 access and correction requests: applies to 100% of the same businesses (1.5× the overall rate)
- APP 2 — anonymity + pseudonymity for individuals: applies to 100% of the same businesses (1.5× the overall rate)
- Provide an APP 5 collection notice at or before collection: applies to 100% of the same businesses (1.5× the overall rate)
- APP 7 direct marketing: consent, opt-out & when you can't message (2026): applies to 100% of the same businesses (1.5× the overall rate)
- Notifiable Data Breach (NDB) scheme: applies to 100% of the same businesses (1.5× the overall rate)
Where it sits in the corpus
Rules Mate tracks 8 published obligations tagged "health practitioners", 7 of them rated critical. For a professional services Pty Ltd company with 6–19 employees operating in every state, 0 of those apply outright. This obligation is rated critical priority and carries criminal liability, and is triggered by events.
Regulator, legislation and tools
Free tools that help with this obligation:
Questions
- Who must notify the Coroner of a reportable death (state)?
- Applies when the business has industry: Health practitioners or approved aged care provider status or NDIS services.
- Do sole traders need to notify the Coroner of a reportable death (state)?
- Yes. Looking in the 3 industries it can reach and every size band, the engine's answer for a sole trader is: yes.
- Do businesses with 1–5 employees need to notify the Coroner of a reportable death (state)?
- Yes (1–5 employees, turnover $100K–$1M).
- When is "Notify the Coroner of a reportable death (state)" due?
- Immediately on awareness.
Related
Sources
Computed by the Rules Mate applicability engine from the published obligation corpus; facts last checked 3 October 2026. Rules Mate is not a law firm and this is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your position with the regulator source or a qualified adviser before acting.