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Courtroom Etiquette

Arriving at court

Coroners Court of Victoria inquests are currently being heard at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court and County Court while our court rooms at 57-83 Kavanagh Street undergo redevelopment.

You will be informed by our staff which court to attend.

Inquests in country areas are not effected by the redevelopment, and will continue to be heard in Magistrates' Courts across regional Victoria.

Please allow plenty of time to get to court.

Visiting the court

Visitors to the court will be required to comply with the court's security arrangements. This may involve passing through a metal detector upon entry. Visitors should also note:

• Visitors must obey the instructions of the court staff while on court premises.
• Tape recorders and cameras are not permitted in any court building without specific approval. Special rules apply to the media.
• Radio receivers or transmitters, including mobile phones, must be switched 'off' when in any court room.
• Food or drink must not be taken into any court room.
• Visitors must comply with any order that prohibits publication of the proceedings.

In the court room

When the inquest begins, the lawyers representing family members or other interested parties introduce themselves. The coroner's assistant will then call the witnesses one by one to give evidence.

The procedure is:

Witnesses are sworn in and the witness goes into the witness box and swears an oath or affirms to tell the truth. The witness is asked to give their name, address, and occupation.

The witness statement will be read out. This is a written statement that the witness will already have given to police. The witness will be asked to confirm that it is their statement and then given a chance to make any changes to it. The statement then becomes part of the evidence that can be referred to later.

The coroner's assistant can then ask the witness questions which expand on what they have said in their statement. The other lawyers also have the opportunity to ask the witness questions. The coroner's assistant can then ask more question to clarify anything that has come up. If the family is not represented by a lawyer, the coroner's assistant will check whether they have any questions they would like asked of the witnesses. The coroner can also ask questions along the way. The coroner may request other witnesses to be called if more evidence is needed to clarify an issue.

Final statements are heard. Once all the witnesses have been heard, the lawyers may make submissions to the coroner, summing up their views. If the family is not represented the coroner may ask them if there is anything they want to say.

A finding is completed. Once the coroner is satisfied that all the relevant evidence has been heard, they will usually postpone (adjourn) the matter so that they can complete their finding. Sometimes the finding is handed down on the same day, but in other more complex investigations, the finding may take weeks or months.

Unless otherwise ordered by the coroner, the inquest finding and any recommendations and responses will be published in the Case Findings section.