West Coast miner deaths inquest will return to court in Hobart next month

A coronial inquest into the deaths of three miners in two separate incidents at a West Coast mine will return to court next year.

An inquest is investigating the Copper Mines of Tasmania’s Mt Lyell mine.

A CORONIAL inquest examining the deaths of three miners on Tasmania’s West Coast will return to court next month.

Coroner Simon Cooper is investigating the January 2014 death of Michael Welsh, 53, who died in a mud rush at the Copper Mines of Tasmania Mt Lyell mine, and the December 2013 deaths of Alistair Lucas, 25, and Craig Gleeson, 45, who died after a platform they were working on in the mine collapsed.

The inquest began in April last year but was put on hold after Copper Mines of Tasmania took legal action over evidence from consultant John Webber in relation to Mr Welsh’s death.

Mr Webber was engaged by the State Government to prepare materials for the inquest and for criminal proceedings against CMT.

The criminal charges were dropped after Mr Webber’s report was deemed inadmissable by a magistrate.

CMT was unsuccessful in its bid to have Mr Webber’s evidence ruled out of the inquest.

The rules of evidence that apply to coronial inquests are different from those that apply to criminal proceedings.

The matter will return to the Hobart Coroners Court on January 24 for a case management conference.