NSW's new State Coroner Teresa Sullivan says Indigenous deaths in custody the priority

"That's something that I think that every Australian has an obligation to try and get their heads around and understand over the next few years." The former Queenslander joined the court in 2015 after being appointed to the Local Court bench in 2009  and is well-liked for her empathetic and down-to-earth style. She has presided over many high-profile inquests, including the shooting by police of Tinder stalker Paul Lambert, who lay in wait for his former date, doctor Angela Jay, and stabbed her repeatedly before dousing her in petrol. Dr Jay survived the ordeal. Inquests involving children and young people had left a mark, Ms O'Sullivan said. She recalled a mother who took her child's toy into the witness box "because it was the last thing her child held". Ms O'Sullivan said the Coroner's Court embodied a "culture of kindness every step of the way", including the police, forensic medical officers, an "incredible team" of registry staff, and her team of five deputy state coroners.

Ms O'Sullivan said the job required empathy but a good coroner also required excellent judgment. Holding people or institutions to account was "a serious job and you can't be a blubbering mess". In a 32-year legal career, Ms O'Sullivan has worked in Alice Springs as a senior criminal law solicitor and barrister for the Aboriginal Legal Aid Service, led Marrickville Legal Centre's children's legal service and headed Legal Aid NSW's children's legal service and coronial inquest unit. "When I was in Alice Springs I was involved in an inquest for a 16-year-old Aboriginal boy who died in custody and that whole process of that inquest got me really interested in coronial work and the possibilities with coronial work," she said. She said suicide, drug-related deaths and mental health were key issues for the court, including the mental health of prisoners. Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame is presiding over the court's high-profile inquest into the drug-related deaths of young people at music festivals. Ms O'Sullivan said the real-time collection of data, including potentially a suicide register, would help strengthen the court's focus on death prevention.

Her appointment comes as the Coroner's Court undergoes a series of changes, including a recent move from the ageing court complex at Glebe to a new $91.5 million Forensic Medicine and Coroners Court facility at Lidcombe. The court was "carefully planned with families in mind" and included "places of comfort and peace". Budget of $6.6 million in 2017-18, compared with $16.7 million in Victoria and $11.3 million in Queensland. State Coroner leads a team of five Deputy State Coroners in Sydney, four of whom are women. Magistrates in country and regional areas also do coronial work. There are 26 Department of Justice staff at the court in Lidcombe. In 2018 the Coroner's Court in Sydney held 111 inquests, finalised another 2393 cases without inquest, and suspended 89 cases due to criminal charges being laid. Magistrate Coroners in regional areas held a further 37 inquests, finalised 1,828 cases without inquest, and suspended 100 due to criminal charges being laid. A long-awaited statutory review of the NSW Coroners Act, yet to be released by the Berejiklian government, may lead to more fundamental changes. Victoria is regarded as a model jurisdiction and boasts an Australian-first Coroners Prevention Unit, set up to provide advice to the court and identify trends to help prevent avoidable deaths. Ms Sullivan said she had a strong interest in the court's death prevention function.

Funding has long been an issue for the court. Latest figures from the Productivity Commission show NSW's recurrent expenditure on coronial services was $6.6 million in 2017-18, compared with $16.7 million in Victoria and $11.3 million in Queensland. Victoria has 11 fulltime coronial positions and Queensland has seven, compared with six in NSW. "I don't think there would be any organisation that wouldn't welcome more resources," Ms O'Sullivan said. Ms O'Sullivan took over as Acting State Coroner last December following the sudden resignation of Michael Barnes' successor, Les Mabbutt, who had served in the top job for eight months. Mr Mabbutt, a former coordinating magistrate of Sydney's Central Local Court, has since returned to the Local Court bench. He had been an unconventional pick because of his lack of coronial experience, but resigned owing to personal circumstances and health issues. Ms O'Sullivan said she was "very pleased to be following in [the] footsteps" of popular State Coroner Mary Jerram, the first female State Coroner in NSW, who was "someone who I admire very much and I would appear before her when I was a lawyer". Ms O'Sullivan now leads a female-dominated team of five deputy coroners.

Source: Smh.com.au

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