(1) Unless a person’s death is reported to the coroner after burial, the
coroner starts having control of the deceased person’s body when the coroner
starts investigating the deceased person’s death.
(2) The coroner stops
having control of the body when the coroner—
(b) if the coroner
stops investigating the death under section 12(2) (b) —authorises a doctor
to issue a cause of death certificate for the deceased person; or
(c) if the
coroner stops investigating the death under section 12(2) (c) or (d) or (4)
—orders the release of the body for burial; or
(d) if the coroner stops
investigating the death under section 12(2) (e) —orders the release of the
body to the other jurisdiction; or
(e) transfers control of the body to
another coroner; or
(f) decides that it is not necessary for the coroner’s
investigation to keep the body after an autopsy and the coroner orders the
release of the body for burial.
(3) For subsection (2) (f) , the coroner must
order the release of the body for burial as soon as reasonably practicable
after the autopsy.
(4) However, the coroner must not order the release of a
body for burial if it is not known whose body it is, unless the coroner
believes it is necessary to bury the body in the particular circumstances.
(5) A doctor must not issue a cause of death certificate for a person if—
(a) the death appears to the doctor to be a reportable death, unless a coroner
advises the doctor that the death is not a reportable death; or
(b) a coroner
is investigating the death, unless the coroner authorises the issue of the
certificate.
Penalty—
Maximum penalty—100 penalty units.
(6) For
subsection (2) (a) , (c) , (d) and (f) , a reference to the coroner, in
relation to an order for the release of a body, includes, if the coroner
investigating the death is not available, another coroner.