WA Families let down by underfunded and under-resourced Cornoner’s Court

Media Release | 8 December 2025

Libby Mettam MLA
Shadow Minister for Health; Mental Health; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence

Nick Goiran MLC
Shadow Attorney General; Child Protection
‍

Shadow Minister for Health Libby Mettam has called wait times of up to three years for findings from the Coroner’s Court a shameful indictment on the priorities of the Cook Labor Government.

“Every single agency involved in the coronial process is a state government agency, so whether it is delays in toxicology, pathology, or judiciary the buck stops with the Cook Government,” she said.

“And the common factor holding up all of these agencies is lack of funding.”
‍
Commenting on the case of baby Asher Walker, who died at King Edward Memorial Hospital and whose parents waited three years for the coronial findings around his death, Ms Mettam said the delays were letting down everyone in the State not just the grieving relatives.

“Like so many of these findings, the finding around Asher’s death called for changes to help prevent this happening again, but those changes were delayed for three years,” she said.

“Apart from being an incredibly cruel way to treat Asher’s parents, a three-year delay in the implementation of potentially life-saving changes in our hospitals is almost
incomprehensible.”

Ms Mettam said there was no excuse for the underfunding of such vital agencies by the Cook Government.

“Our Premier and Treasurer stand before the people of Western Australia day in and day out claiming to have created the wealthiest state in the nation, but they have lost
their moral compass,” she said.

Shadow Attorney General Nick Goiran said the delays in the Coroners Court reflected a broader, well-documented failure by the Cook Labor Government to prioritise the justice system.

“Justice delayed is justice denied, and right now thousands of Western Australians are being denied justice because this Government has failed to properly fund the courts,” he said.
‍

“After sustained pressured from the Opposition, the Government belatedly commissioned the Pritchard Review in recognition that parts of the justice system were under severe strain.

“Yet despite that acknowledgment, critical courts including the Family Court have inexplicably been excluded from that process, and serious questions remain about
whether the Coroners Court has been given the attention it plainly requires.

“That inconsistency speaks volumes. Yet again, this Government begrudgingly recognises the problem, but its response is partial, fragmented and ultimately inadequate.

“The Coroners Court deals with the most traumatic matters imaginable for families.Allowing it to operate with years-long delays is indefensible.”

Contact: Graham Mason 0419 194 792