An expert Death Review Panel was established in 2009 to oversee a review of coronial processes and practices. In 2009-10, the Queensland Police Service identified 17 of 62 homicides in Queensland were related to domestic violence.
The panel of government and community agency representatives presented their final report, Report of the Domestic and Family Violence Death Review Panel 2010 Report of the Domestic and Family Violence Death Review Panel 2010 , on 12 August 2010.
Recommendations include new measures to help Queensland coroners to identify deaths related to domestic and family violence, such as:
- setting up a domestic and family violence death review unit in the Office of the State Coroner
- establishing an expert advisory panel which the State Coroner, at his discretion, could consult in considering improvements to the present system of reviewing deaths
- developing a separate register of experts who can assist the State Coroner when considering individual cases.
In response to the recommendations of the report resources have been allocated to establish a Domestic and Family Violence Death Review Unit in the Office of the State Coroner. The team will work to identify ways to prevent future domestic and family violence related deaths.
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