‘We’re not going to weaken’: Parents’ pledge after Attorney-General says he can’t intervene
Attorney-General Guy Barnett says he has no legal power to intervene in the tragic case of Eden Westbrook and order an inquest. But the teenager’s parents have pledged not to give up>
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Attorney-General Guy Barnett says he has no legal power to intervene in the case of Eden Westbrook and order an inquest.
The comments, from a government spokesperson, come in the wake of an impassioned speech in the Senate on Tuesday night by Senator Jacqui Lambie – who called for a public inquest into Eden’s death following what she called a “botched investigation and potentially a blatant cover-up”.
The body of 15-year-old Eden was discovered at St Helens in February 2015, with her death quickly deemed a suicide by police and a coroner.
However, her family have long held she was in fact murdered and have called for a public inquest for answers.
“A coronial investigation has been conducted and completed into Ms Westbrook’s tragic death,” a government spokesperson said following a query from the Mercury.
“Where a coronial investigation has been completed, the Attorney-General has no power to intervene and order a further coronial investigation.”
The Mercury understands the legal circumstances may be different to those in the case of fellow young Tasmania, Jari Wise, who died in February 2020, and whose death was subject to an inquest following a Ministerial intervention.
In that case, Mr Wise’s death was reported to Coroner Simon Cooper, who commenced an investigation and then decided not to hold an inquest.
Because Mr Cooper had not handed down findings in that case, and the matter was still open, former Attorney-General Elise Archer was able to intervene using her powers under the Tasmanian Coroners Act.
An inquest into Eden’s case could still be opened by a coroner or the Chief Magistrate, Catherine Geason – who previously refused such a request from the Westbrook family in 2022.
Mr Barnett was asked the same question in Tasmania’s parliament a fortnight ago, about intervening in Eden’s case and ordering an inquest, by new Jacqui Lambie Network MP Andrew Jenner.
At that time, Mr Barnett – describing the case as “devastating” – said he would take the question on notice.
Following Mr Barnett’s reply on Wednesday, Eden’s father Jason said he had “no faith in the system at all”.
“This seems ludicrous,” he said.
“How do you open up something when they’ve closed the book?”
Mr Westbrook said he felt Tasmania’s coronial system had made a mistake in his daughter’s case.
“The best way (the system is managing this) is to avoid and ignore, and this will go away, that the Westbrooks will get weakened by the red tape,” he said.
“But we’re not going to weaken. We’re going to continue the fight. I don’t know how, but we will get to the bottom of this, we will get to the truth.”
He also said he didn’t hold anything against Mr Barnett, who he believed was “genuine” and was apparently between “a rock and a hard place”.
“That’s not his fault. It’s the system.”
Eden’s mother Amanda said she wasn’t surprised by the answer, but said “it’s not over until it’s over”.
More Coverage
Man desperately tried to save his father from burning home
A 25-year-old man tried to rescue his father from their burning home, but sadly he could not be saved. Latest.
Driver did burnouts and drifted around corners before fatal crash
A judge has told a man responsible for a fatal crash that he was driving ‘as if his vehicle was a toy, placing his passengers at risk for the sake of quick thrills’. Here’s what he was sentenced to.