Death at Home in Tasmania: What Happens Next

When someone dies at home, most people's instinct is to call 000. Sometimes that is exactly right. Other times — particularly when the death was expected after a terminal illness — calling an ambulance can trigger a chain of events that takes control of the situation away from the family entirely.

Whether the death was expected or sudden changes everything about who you call first and what happens in the hours that follow.

Expected Death at Home (Palliative Care)

If your loved one was under the care of a GP, palliative care team, or hospice service and death was anticipated, you are in a different situation to an unexpected death.

Who to call first: Call the GP, the palliative care nurse, or the after-hours palliative care line — not triple zero. These are the people who can certify the death and issue the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD).

The MCCD is the document the attending medical practitioner must issue within 48 hours of death. It establishes the legal cause of death and is the essential document that allows the body to be lawfully transported and the death registration process to begin. Without it, nothing else can move forward.

A GP who was caring for the deceased and is familiar with their terminal illness can typically issue the MCCD without needing to attend in person in all cases — but practice varies. Some will want to attend the home to confirm death before issuing the certificate. Others can do so based on prior knowledge of the patient and a confirmation from another person present. Your palliative care team will advise you on the local process.

You do not need to move the body immediately. Tasmania law explicitly permits families to keep a deceased person at home for a natural vigil. There is no legal requirement to call a funeral director at this stage. The legal obligation is temperature control: the body must be maintained at 5°C or below. This can be achieved with dry ice, techni-ice packs, a purpose-built cooling pad, or a combination of portable air conditioning and damp towels.

Most home funeral practitioners suggest three to five days is a reasonable maximum under proper cooling conditions, depending on the nature of the illness and the manner of death. Beyond this window, visible decomposition becomes increasingly likely regardless of cooling.

Unexpected Death at Home

If the death was sudden, unexpected, unwitnessed, or occurred under circumstances where the cause is not immediately clear, the situation is categorically different.

Call triple zero immediately. Police must be notified for unexpected deaths at home in Tasmania. An ambulance can confirm death, and police will assess whether the circumstances require a Coroner's investigation.

The Coroner may become involved. Under the Coroners Act 1995 (Tas), deaths that are sudden, unnatural, accidental, or occur under suspicious circumstances must be reported to the Coroner. If the Coroner becomes involved, a forensic pathologist will conduct a post-mortem examination. All autopsies in Tasmania are conducted in Hobart — meaning if the death occurs in Launceston, Devonport, or any regional area, the body will be transported south for examination. Families in northern Tasmania should expect an inherent delay of one to two days for transport and a further two to four days for body release after autopsy.

During the coronial process, the family loses temporary control over the remains. The Coroner's office will communicate exclusively with the legally defined Senior Next of Kin — the current spouse or de facto partner takes priority, followed by an adult child, then a person in a caring relationship, then a parent, then an adult sibling. If the Coroner is involved, do not attempt to arrange transport or book a funeral service until you have confirmed written release from the Coroner's office.

A GP cannot issue the MCCD for an unexpected death. If the attending GP cannot certify the cause of death because it was unexpected, they are legally required to notify Tasmania Police and the Coroner instead. The standard administrative pathway — MCCD within 48 hours — does not apply until the Coroner has completed their investigation.

What to Do While Waiting

In either scenario, while waiting for the GP or the Coroner's office:

Keep a record of the time of death. If anyone witnessed it, note the time. If death was discovered rather than witnessed, note when the person was last known to be alive and when they were found.

Do not disturb the scene more than necessary in unexpected deaths. If police are coming, avoid moving or touching objects in the room. This is not about treating your home like a crime scene — it is simply practical for when investigators need to understand the circumstances of the death.

Call a trusted family member or friend. You should not navigate this alone. Identify who needs to be notified and in what order, starting with those closest to the deceased.

Do not call a funeral director yet in unexpected deaths. Until the Coroner has released the body, a funeral director cannot take custody of remains. Booking prematurely and paying deposits on a funeral date that will move is an entirely unnecessary financial stress.

Your Right to Stay With the Body

Families have the right to remain with their loved one's body throughout the home death process, unless the Coroner orders otherwise. This includes during the palliative care setting and during the period before transport.

If hospital staff or health professionals arrive at your home and you want to keep your loved one there for a period rather than transferring them immediately to a funeral home, you can do so — provided temperature control is maintained and the MCCD has been issued (or the Coroner has cleared the remains).

After the MCCD Is Issued

Once the MCCD is in hand, the timeline opens up again. You can now:

• Arrange transport of the body (by a funeral director or by the family, in a suitable vehicle)
• Contact a funeral director to begin planning, or proceed with a family-led home funeral
• Apply for the official BDM Death Certificate (the MCCD is not the same as the official certificate that banks and estate administrators require)

The BDM Death Certificate typically takes two weeks through the standard process, or is available with 24-hour turnaround via the priority service for $101.23 (versus $65.96 for the standard certificate).

If you want to keep the body at home beyond 30 days of death without disposal, you must notify the BDM Registrar in writing of the delay.

The Tasmania Funeral Laws & Consumer Rights Guide includes a home death protocol checklist that walks through both the expected and unexpected death scenarios step by step, including what to say to the Coroner's office, your rights during the coronial process, and how to keep a body at home safely and legally.

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