Tourism Central Australia chairman Patrick Bedford, Emu Run Tours face court after fatal bus crash

Lawyers for Patrick Bedford, Ian Jackson and Emu Run Tours told the court they were ‘still working our way through’ the ‘quite substantial’ brief of evidence on Tuesday.

Emu Run Tours Pty Ltd director Patrick Joseph Bedford outside the Darwin Local Court on Tuesday. Picture: Jason Walls

Tourism Central Australia chairman Patrick Bedford has faced court for the first time since being charged over a fatal tour bus crash outside Hermannsburg in 2022.

NT WorkSafe charged Mr Bedford in May this year with failing to comply with a health and safety duty following the crash which killed a 69-year-old man and injured 20 others.

His company, Emu Run Tours, and its mechanic Ian Jackson were also charged with the same offence and had their cases mentioned alongside Mr Bedford’s in the Darwin Local Court on Tuesday.

The short administrative hearing was over in a matter of minutes, with defence lawyers telling the court they were “still working our way through” the “quite substantial” brief of evidence.

WorkSafe alleges the tour bus was returning to Alice Springs along Larapinta Drive after a day trip when one of its tyres “blew out” on June 6.

“The incident, which occurred approximately 5km outside of Hermannsburg, caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle which overturned, resulting in the death of one passenger and injuries to all the remaining occupants,” it said in a statement in May.

Patrick Bedford stands charged with failing to comply with a health and safety duty following a fatal crash outside Hermannsburg, west of Alice Springs, in June 2022. Picture: Jason Walls

“NT WorkSafe’s investigation, which incorporated evidence obtained by the Northern Territory Police Major Crash Investigation Unit, found the tour bus had been significantly modified which would have impacted the safe operation of the vehicle, namely changing the configuration of the vehicle from operating on six wheels to four wheels.”

The workplace watchdog alleges the modifications had not been assessed and approved in accordance with engineering and vehicle standards requirements and the vehicle’s tyres were not used in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications.

If found guilty, Emu Run Tours could face a maximum penalty of $5m, while Mr Bedford and Mr Jackson could face $1m and $500,000 maximums respectively if the allegations are proven.

No pleas have been entered and the case will return to court for a directions hearing on August 19.