A long-awaited coronial inquest into the deaths of six children who were killed when a jumping castle was lifted into the air by a freak wind at a Tasmanian primary school could get underway in September.
The six children died and three others were injured during end-of-year celebrations at Hillcrest Primary School in Devonport in December 2021.
Details of the inquest’s proposed scope and witness list were outlined at a case management conference at the Hobart Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The updated scope document released by the court shows the inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Peter Dodt, Chace Harrison, Jalailah Jones, Zane Mellor, Jye Sheehan and Addison Stewart.
Coroner Olivia McTaggart told the court she was working towards an initial hearing in the second half of September at the Paranaple Centre in Devonport, “particularly for the sake of the families”.
The inquest had been put on hold while a criminal case played out.
It resumed after Rosemary Gamble, owner of the business that supplied the jumping castle, was found not guilty of failing in her workplace safety duties in June last year.
According to the court document, the inquest’s scope covers the Department for Education, Children and Young People’s engagement of Gamble’s company Taz-Zorb, the set-up and operation of the jumping castle and zorb balls, and the nature of the wind event itself.
It will also examine whether the equipment met Australian Standards for inflatable and amusement devices, including rules around anchoring, blowers, supervision and wind monitoring.
The scope asks whether there were any shortcomings in how the department engaged Taz-Zorb or how Taz-Zorb set up and operated the equipment that may have caused or contributed to one or more of the deaths.
The ABC reports some families want school staff added to the witness list, including the principal at the time and the teacher who organised the celebrations.
The state opposed this, arguing those staff had already given evidence through written statements and that there was “nothing to be gained” from calling them.
The inquest will also consider whether current Australian Standards are adequate to manage wind-based safety risks involving jumping castles and zorb balls.
The next case management conference will be held on July 24.
