‘Secrecy culture’ as Coroner’s Court review buried

A review of Queensland’s Coroner’s Court is being kept secret because of concerns about staff wellbeing if the findings were released.

Queensland’s Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath.

Queensland’s Department of Justice and Attorney-General is keeping secret the findings of a major review of the Coroner’s Court, citing concerns about staff health and wellbeing if the information was released.

The Australian had been told clashes between staff and coroners and claims of nepotism were among the issues raised with the independent external consultants who conducted the review.

It is understood a reduction in support staff in coronial offices outside Brisbane also was raised.

Workplace Edge consultants were quietly commissioned to examine the “organisational structure” and “workforce climate” of the court, completing a 76-page final report in January.

The Australian applied for the report through Right to Information laws, but the Justice ­Department refused to release 54 pages and concealed sections on a further four pages.

The state’s Attorney-General, Yvette D’Ath, was still “awaiting a full briefing” on the report, a spokeswoman said. Ms D’Ath had “been assured that issues raised in the report are already being ­actioned by the ­department”.

“The Coroner’s Office has also been allocated extra staff, given a new permanent director and has scheduled more staff training,” she said.

The state’s coroners were interviewed as part of the review, but it is understood they have not been shown the report. The small portion of the report released through Right to Information said the review included 55 one-on-one interviews and five group interviews.

Right to Information and Privacy director Michelle Duckworth said the Deputy Director-­General,  Justice Services, who commissioned the report, was “yet to finalise decisions” relating to its content and recommendations.

“The pre-emptive release of the report may impact detrimentally on staff health and wellbeing and create anxiety,” Ms Duckworth wrote. Staff may have provided information confidentially and the release of the full report could identify individuals and affect the ability to implement recom­mendations and conduct future reviews.

“Taking all of this into account, I determined that, in this case, ­release of the information is contrary to the public interest. Accordingly, access to this information is refused,” she wrote.

Opposition legal affairs spokesman David Janetzki said it was “more evidence of the culture of secrecy in Annastacia Pala­s­zczuk’s government”.

While most of the report was redacted, the department chose to release a section headed “What works well at CCoQ”.

“Many of the staff work at CCoQ because they are passionate about the nature of the work and genuinely work exceptionally hard,” the report states.

The Justice Department said last night said in a statement the review cost almost $90,000 and made recommendations in areas including improving services and leadership structures and ensuring coroners were effectively supported.

Six extra positions had been ­assigned until the end of this ­financial year to help address ­demands for coronial services.

“The report specifically noted the dedication of coroners and the staff of CCoQ and the high quality of coronial services being provided, notwithstanding the increase in deaths reported to coroners,” the statement reads.