{"id":"compensation-fatal-injuries-act-1974","name":"Compensation (Fatal Injuries) Act 1974","slug":"compensation-fatal-injuries-act-1974","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"nt","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":29942,"registerId":"nt-compensation-fatal-injuries-act-1974-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Compensation (Fatal Injuries) Act 1974","content":"NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\nCOMPENSATION (FATAL INJURIES) ACT 1974\nAs in force at 28 November 2022\nTable of provisions\n1 Short title ......................................................................................... 1\n2 Repeal ............................................................................................. 1\n4 Interpretation ................................................................................... 1\n5 Application ....................................................................................... 2\n6 Act binds the Crown ........................................................................ 2\n7 Liability in respect of the death of a person ..................................... 3\n8 One action for the benefit of members of deceased person's\nfamily ............................................................................................... 3\n10 Damages ......................................................................................... 3\n11 Contributory negligence ................................................................... 5\n12 Payment into court........................................................................... 5\n13 Alternative action where personal representative is not\nappointed or does not bring action .................................................. 6\n14 Special endorsement on writ of summons ....................................... 6\n15 Powers of the court to make orders in relation to actions ................ 6\n16 Provisions applicable where action tried before court with a\njury ................................................................................................... 7\nENDNOTES\n\n\n\nNORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA\n____________________\nAs in force at 28 November 2022\n____________________\nCOMPENSATION (FATAL INJURIES) ACT 1974\nAn Act relating to compensation to relatives of persons whose deaths\nare caused by wrongful act, neglect or default\n1 Short title\nThis Act may be cited as the Compensation (Fatal Injuries)\nAct 1974.\n2 Repeal\n(1) The Compensation (Fatal Injuries) Ordinance 1938 and the\nCompensation (Fatal Injuries) Ordinance 1970 are repealed.\n(2) Despite the repeal made by subsection (1), the provisions of the\nCompensation (Fatal Injuries) Ordinance 1938 as amended\ncontinue to apply in relation to a cause of action in respect of the\ndeath of a person that occurred before the commencement of this\nAct.\n4 Interpretation\n(1) In this Act:\nburial, see section 7 of the Burial and Cremation Act 2022.\nchild, in relation to a deceased person, includes an adopted child\nand a grand-child and a stepchild of the deceased person.\ndisposal, see section 7 of the Burial and Cremation Act 2022.\nparent, in relation to a deceased person, includes an adoptive\nparent, and a step-father, a step-mother, a grand-father, and a\ngrand-mother of the deceased person.\npersonal representative, in relation to a deceased person, means\nthe person to whom a grant of probate of the will or administration\nof the estate of the deceased person has been made in a State or\nTerritory and includes an executor by representation of the\ndeceased person, the Public Trustee if he or she is administering\nthe estate of the deceased person and the Curator of Deceased\nEstates if he or she is administering the estate of the deceased\n\nCompensation (Fatal Injuries) Act 1974 2\nperson.\n(2) Each of the following persons is, for this Act, a member of a\ndeceased person's family:\n(a) a spouse or de facto partner of the deceased person;\n(b) a child of the deceased person;\n(c) a person to whom the deceased person stood, immediately\nbefore his or her death, in loco parentis;\n(d) a person who stood, immediately before his or her death, in\nloco parentis to the deceased person;\n(e) a parent of the deceased person;\n(f) a brother, a sister, a half-brother and a half-sister of the\ndeceased person;\n(g) a former spouse or de facto partner of the deceased person.\n(3) For this Act:\n(b) a child of a deceased person born alive after the death of that\nperson must be treated as having been born before the death\nof the deceased person; and\n(d) an infant to whom a deceased person stood, immediately\nbefore his or her death, in loco parentis must be treated as the\nchild of the deceased person.\n(4) A reference in this Act to an action or proceeding must be read as a\nreference to an action or proceeding under this Act.\n5 Application\n(1) Subject to subsection (2), this Act applies only where a death\noccurs on or after the commencement of this Act, whether the act,\nneglect or default that caused the death occurred before or after\nthat commencement.\n(2) This Act does not apply to or in relation to a death occurring in or as\na result of an accident within the meaning of the Motor Accidents\n(Compensation) Act 1979, except in those circumstances in which\nan action in respect of that death is not precluded by that Act.\n6 Act binds the Crown\nThis Act binds the Crown.\n\nCompensation (Fatal Injuries) Act 1974 3\n7 Liability in respect of the death of a person\n(1) Where the death of a person is caused by a wrongful act, neglect or\ndefault and the act, neglect or default is such that it would, if death\nhad not ensued, have entitled the person injured to maintain an\naction and recover damages in respect of the injury, the person\nwho would have been liable, if the death had not ensued, is liable to\nan action for damages despite the death of the person injured and\nirrespective of whether the death of that person was caused by\ncircumstances that amount in law to an offence.\n(2) A settlement, release or judgment in respect of the wrongful act,\nneglect or default causing his or her death made, given or obtained\nby the deceased person after the commission or occurrence of the\nwrongful act, neglect or default does not, subject to section 10(5),\naffect the liability of a person to an action under this Act.\n8 One action for the benefit of members of deceased person's\nfamily\n(1) Not more than one action may be brought against any one person\nin respect of a death.\n(2) Subject to section 13, any such action must be brought by and in\nthe name of the personal representative of the deceased person for\nthe benefit of those members of the deceased person's family who\nsustained damage because of his or her death.\n10 Damages\n(1) The court may award to the parties respectively for whose benefit\nthe action is brought, such damages as it may think proportioned to\nthe injury resulting from the death of the person injured.\n(2) The amount of damages recovered under this section must, after\ndeducting the costs not recovered from the defendant, be divided\namongst the persons for whose benefit the action is brought in such\nshares as the court determines.\n(3) Damages in an action may include:\n(a) the reasonable expenses of burial or disposal of the remains\nof the deceased person that are incurred by a person for\nwhose benefit the action is brought; and\n(b) the reasonable medical and hospital expenses of the\ndeceased person in relation to the injury that resulted in the\ndeath of the deceased person that are incurred by a person\nfor whose benefit the action is brought; and\n\nCompensation (Fatal Injuries) Act 1974 4\n(c) if the deceased person is survived by a spouse or de facto\npartner – damages for loss or impairment of consortium in the\nsame manner as damages would be assessed in a claim in\ntort by a husband for damages for loss or impairment of\nconsortium; and\n(d) if the deceased person customarily performed household\nservices – the reasonable expenses that would be incurred by\na person for whose benefit the action is brought in respect of\nthe hire of help to perform those services; and\n(e) if the deceased person is survived by a child of his or her who\nis an infant:\n(i) the reasonable expenses that would be incurred by a\nperson on whose behalf the action is brought in respect\nof the hire of a person to live in the home and care for\nthe infant until the infant attains the age of 18 years; and\n(ii) damages on account of loss of care and guidance of the\nchild by the deceased person as a parent; and\n(f) solatium.\n(4) In assessing damages in action, no reduction must be made on\naccount of:\n(a) a sum paid or payable on the death of, or personal injury to,\nthe deceased person under a contract of insurance; or\n(b) a sum paid or payable out of a superannuation, provident or\nlike fund, or by way of benefit from a friendly society, benefit\nsociety, lodge or trade union; or\n(c) a sum paid or payable by any government or person\nconsequent upon the death or injury of the deceased person\nand being:\n(i) a payment instead of furlough or long service leave; or\n(ii) a payment by way of pension, social service benefit or\nrepatriation benefit; or\n(d) a sum paid or payable as a gratuity consequent upon the\ndeath of the deceased person; or\n(e) any sum in respect of the acquisition by a member of the\ndeceased person's family, consequent upon the death, of, or\nan interest in, a dwelling used at any time as the home of the\nmember, or of, or of an interest in, the household contents of\n\nCompensation (Fatal Injuries) Act 1974 5\nany such dwelling; or\n(f) a premium that would have become payable under a contract\nof insurance in respect of the life of the deceased person if he\nor she had lived beyond the time at which he or she died; or\n(g) any other gain or benefits that have accrued or may accrue to\nthe deceased person's estate or to any person for whose\nbenefit an action is brought consequent upon the death of the\ndeceased person; or\n(h) the marriage or entry into a de facto relationship, or the\nprospects of doing so, of a surviving spouse or de facto\npartner or a surviving former spouse or de facto partner.\n(5) A payment made as a result of a settlement, release or judgment in\nrespect of the wrongful act, neglect or default causing his or death\nmade, given or obtained by the deceased person within the period\nof 6 months after the commission or occurrence of the wrongful act,\nneglect or default causing his or her death must be taken into\naccount in assessing damages in an action.\n11 Contributory negligence\n(1) Where a person dies as the result partly of his or her own wrong\nand partly of the wrong of another person or other persons, and\naccordingly, if an action were brought for the benefit of his estate\nunder Part II of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions)\nAct 1956, the damages recoverable would be reduced, any\ndamages recoverable in an action under this Act must be reduced\nto the same extent as if they were damages in an action so brought\nfor the benefit of the estate of the deceased person.\n(2) In this section, wrong has the same meaning as in Part V of the\nLaw Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1956.\n12 Payment into court\n(1) Where an action is brought under this Act, the defendant may pay\nan amount of money into court as compensation for the benefit of\nthe persons for whose benefit the action is brought and who are\nentitled to compensation under this Act.\n(2) Where an amount of money is paid into court by way of\ncompensation, no portion of that amount must be paid out of court\nexcept under an order of the court.\n\nCompensation (Fatal Injuries) Act 1974 6\n13 Alternative action where personal representative is not\nappointed or does not bring action\n(1) Where an action has not been commenced by and in the name of\nthe personal representative of a deceased person within 6 months\nafter the death of the deceased person, any one or more of the\npersons for whose benefit an action may be brought may bring\nsuch an action.\n(2) An action brought by a person other than the personal\nrepresentative of the deceased person must be for the benefit of\nthe same persons and subject to the same provisions and\nprocedures, mutatis mutandis, as if it were brought by the personal\nrepresentative of the deceased person on behalf of those persons.\n14 Special endorsement on writ of summons\nThe writ of summons or other process by which an action is\ncommenced must, in addition to any other endorsements required\nor permitted to be made, be endorsed with a statement specifying\nthe names of each of the persons for whose benefit the action is\nbrought and the relationship of each of those persons to the\ndeceased person.\n15 Powers of the court to make orders in relation to actions\n(1) Where:\n(a) an action has been commenced; and\n(b) the court is satisfied that a person whose name is not included\nin the names of the persons for whose benefit the action is\nstated to have been brought is a person whose name should\nhave been so included;\nthe court may, on application made by or on behalf of that person,\nor of its own motion, order the action to proceed as if the name of\nthat person had been so included.\n(2) The court may order that any one or more of the persons for whose\nbenefit an action has been brought be separately represented by\ncounsel or solicitor, or both.\n(3) Where the court makes an order under this section, the court may,\nat the same time or subsequently, make such orders in relation to\nprocedure in the action as it thinks fit.\n(4) The powers of the court under this section are in addition to, and\nnot in derogation of, any other powers of the court.\n\nCompensation (Fatal Injuries) Act 1974 7\n16 Provisions applicable where action tried before court with a\njury\nIf an action or the assessment of damages in an action is tried\nbefore the court with a jury, the references in section 10 to the court\nmust be read as references to the jury before which the action is\ntried.\n\nENDNOTES\nCompensation (Fatal Injuries) Act 1974 8\nENDNOTES\n1 KEY\nKey to abbreviations\namd = amended od = order\napp = appendix om = omitted\nbl = by-law pt = Part\nch = Chapter r = regulation/rule\ncl = clause rem = remainder\ndiv = Division renum = renumbered\nexp = expires/expired rep = repealed\nf = forms s = section\nGaz = Gazette sch = Schedule\nhdg = heading sdiv = Subdivision\nins = inserted SL = Subordinate Legislation\nlt = long title sub = substituted\nnc = not commenced\n2 LIST OF LEGISLATION\nCompensation (Fatal Injuries) Ordinance 1974 (Act No. 36, 1974)\nAssent date 23 September 1974\nCommenced 23 September 1974\nTransfer of Powers (Further Provisions) Ordinance 1977 (Act No. 51, 1977)\nAssent date 9 December 1977\nCommenced 1 January 1978 (s 6)\nStatus of Children Act 1978 (Act No. 16, 1979)\nAssent date 26 January 1979\nCommenced 21 September 1979 (Gaz G38, 21 September 1979, p 1)\nCompensation (Fatal Injuries) Act 1979 (Act No. 68, 1979)\nAssent date 26 June 1979\nCommenced 1 July 1979 (s 2)\nStatute Law Revision Act 1980 (Act No. 6, 1981)\nAssent date 9 January 1981\nCommenced 9 January 1981\nLimitation Act 1981 (Act No. 87, 1981)\nAssent date 21 September 1981\nCommenced 26 February 1982 (Gaz G8, 26 February 1982, p 2)\nCompensation (Fatal Injuries) Amendment Act 1982 (Act No. 89, 1982)\nAssent date 14 December 1982\nCommenced 20 May 1983 (Gaz G20 20 May 1983, p 4)\nDe Facto Relationships (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 1991 (Act No. 82, 1991)\nAssent date 24 December 1991\nCommenced 1 January 1992 (s 2)\n\nENDNOTES\nCompensation (Fatal Injuries) Act 1974 9\nCompensation (Fatal Injuries) Amendment Act 2001 (Act No. 13, 2001)\nAssent date 28 June 2001\nCommenced 1 August 2001 (s 2, s 2 Law Reform (Miscellaneous\nProvisions) Amendment Act 2001 (Act No. 12, 2001) and Gaz\nG29, 25 July 2001, p 2)\nLaw Reform (Gender, Sexuality and De Facto Relationships) Act 2003 (Act No. 1, 2004)\nAssent date 7 January 2004\nCommenced 17 March 2004 (Gaz G11, 17 March 2004, p 8)\nStatute Law Revision Act 2011 (Act No. 30, 2011)\nAssent date 31 August 2011\nCommenced 21 September 2011 (Gaz G38, 21 September 2011, p 5)\nLocal Court (Related Amendments) Act 2016 (Act No. 8, 2016)\nAssent date 6 April 2016\nCommenced 1 May 2016 (s 2, s 2 Local Court (Repeals and Related\nAmendments) Act 2016 (Act No. 9, 2016) and Gaz S34,\n29 April 2016)\nBurial and Cremation Act 2022 (Act No. 16, 2022)\nAssent date 9 August 2022\nCommenced 28 November 2022 (Gaz S60, 23 November 2022)\n3 SAVINGS AND TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS\ns 66 Law Reform (Gender, Sexuality and De Facto Relationships) Act 2003\n(Act No. 1, 2004)\n4 GENERAL AMENDMENTS\nGeneral amendments of a formal nature (which are not referred to in the table\nof amendments to this reprint) are made by the Interpretation Legislation\nAmendment Act 2018 (Act No. 22, 2018) to: ss 1, 5 and 11.\n5 LIST OF AMENDMENTS\nlt amd No. 6, 1981, s 4\ns 1 amd No. 6, 1981, s 4\ns 2 amd No. 6, 1981, s 4; No. 30, 2011, s 3\ns 3 rep No. 51, 1977, s 3\ns 4 amd No. 16, 1979, s 19; No. 6, 1981, s 4; No. 89, 1982, s 3; No. 82, 1991,\ns 11; No. 1, 2004, s 62; No. 30, 2011, s 3; No. 16, 2022, s 222\ns 5 sub No. 68, 1979, s 4\ns 6 amd No. 6, 1981, s 4\ns 7 amd No. 6, 1981, s 4; No. 30, 2011, s 3; No. 8, 2016, s 45\ns 8 amd No. 30, 2011, s 3\ns 9 rep No. 87, 1981, s 3\ns 10 amd No. 1, 2004, s 62; No. 30, 2011, s 3; No. 16, 2022, s 222\ns 11 amd No. 6, 1981, s 4; No. 13, 2001, s 3; No. 30, 2011, s 3\ns 12 amd No. 6, 1981, s 4; No. 30, 2011, s 3\nss 13 – 16 amd No. 30, 2011, s 3","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"_metrics":{"source":"grok-batch-everything"},"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The original 1938 Ordinance was narrowly focused on providing dependency-based damages to a limited class of 'relatives'. The 1974 Act and later amendments (particularly the 2001, 2003 and 2004 changes) have expanded the scope well beyond that intent by widening the statutory family to include de facto partners, former partners, in loco parentis relationships and extended kin; adding new non-pecuniary heads of damage such as solatium, consortium and loss of care and guidance; and expressly excluding a broad range of collateral benefits from the assessment exercise."},"complexity_factors":["Extensive and inclusive definition of 'family' and 'member of the deceased person's family' in s 4(2)–(3) that includes in loco parentis relationships, posthumous children and multiple generations","Detailed and conditional list of heads of damage in s 10(3) together with a lengthy 'no reduction' list in s 10(4) containing eight distinct categories of excluded benefits","Multiple cross-references to other statutes including the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1956 (for contributory negligence), the Motor Accidents (Compensation) Act 1979, and the Burial and Cremation Act 2022","Procedural overlays in ss 8, 12–16 that interact with Supreme Court rules on writs, payment into court, separate representation and jury directions","Savings and transitional provisions that preserve the 1938 Ordinance for pre-commencement deaths"],"plain_english_summary":"**This law allows family members to claim compensation if a person's death was caused by someone else's wrongful act, neglect or default.** It applies in the Northern Territory for deaths on or after its start date (with an exception for most motor vehicle accidents covered by separate road accident laws).\n\nThe Act defines a wide group of **family members** who can benefit from a claim. This includes husbands, wives, de facto partners (including same-sex), children (including adopted, step-children, grandchildren and those born after the death), parents, grandparents, siblings, and people who acted as parents to each other.\n\nOnly one court case can be brought. It is usually started by the dead person's estate representative (the executor or administrator) for the benefit of all affected family. If they do not act within six months, a family member can start the case themselves. The court decides how any money awarded is split.\n\n**Compensation can cover** funeral costs, the dead person's medical bills, loss of companionship, the cost of hiring help for household tasks or childcare, emotional distress (called solatium), and financial support the family has lost. Certain payments like insurance, pensions or superannuation payouts are ignored when calculating the award. The amount can be reduced if the dead person was partly at fault for what happened.\n\nThe law sets out court procedures, special wording that must appear on legal documents, and rules for cases heard by a jury. It binds the government itself. The overall purpose is to make sure families left behind after a preventable death can receive fair financial support without unfair deductions for other benefits they might receive."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The scope of who may benefit and what losses are recoverable has been modified since the original ordinance. The current text expressly defines a wide class of family beneficiaries (including de facto and former partners) (s4(2)(a)) and lists specific heads of damage such as loss of consortium, household service hire costs, infant care costs to age 18, and solatium (s10(3)). The Act also contains temporal and subject‑matter limits (it applies only to deaths on or after commencement (s5(1)) and excludes deaths dealt with under the Motor Accidents (Compensation) Act 1979 where that Act precludes an action (s5(2))). The endnotes and list of amendments record multiple amendments to core sections (including s4 and s10), indicating changes to scope and content over time."},"complexity_factors":["Cross‑references to other statutes for definitions and reductions (s4(1) references Burial and Cremation Act 2022; s11 imports Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1956; s5(2) references Motor Accidents (Compensation) Act 1979).","Judicial discretion in quantum and division of awards (s10(1)–(2)) and broad procedural powers to add claimants and order representation (s15).","Multiple specified heads of damage and non‑offset rules that affect valuation (s10(3)–(5)).","Procedural rules about who must commence actions, fallback rules if the personal representative does not act, and mandatory endorsements on process (s8, s13, s14).","Transitional and temporal application rules (s2(2), s5(1)) and a history of amendments affecting key definitions and provisions (see list of amendments)."],"plain_english_summary":"### What the Act does (mechanics)\n\n- Creates a civil cause of action for deaths caused by a \"wrongful act, neglect or default\": the person who would have been liable if the injured person had lived is liable despite the death (s7).\n- Limits liability to a single action against any one defendant in respect of a particular death (s8(1)).\n- Requires that, as a rule, the personal representative of the deceased brings the action in the name of the estate for the benefit of members of the deceased person's family (s8(2); see definition of \"member of a deceased person's family\" at s4(2)).\n- Specifies the kinds of compensation the court may award and how awards are to be divided among beneficiaries (s10(1)–(2)). Permitted heads of damage include reasonable burial/disposal expenses and medical costs, loss of consortium for a surviving spouse or de facto partner, reasonable cost of hired household help, reasonable cost of hiring live‑in care for an infant until age 18, loss of care and guidance to a child, and solatium (s10(3)).\n- Limits or excludes certain offsets when assessing damages: amounts payable under life insurance, superannuation, pensions or gratuities and similar gains are not to reduce the damages awarded (s10(4)), but a settlement or payment made by the deceased within 6 months of the act causing the death must be taken into account (s10(5)).\n- Applies the rules on contributory negligence from the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1956 so that if the deceased was partly at fault damages are reduced accordingly (s11).\n- Allows a defendant to pay money into court for the benefit of entitled beneficiaries; such money is not to be paid out except by court order (s12).\n- Provides that if the personal representative does not commence proceedings within 6 months of the death, one or more entitled persons may commence the action (s13).\n- Requires the writ or originating process to specify the names of the persons for whose benefit the action is brought and their relationship to the deceased (s14).\n- Gives the court power to add omitted beneficiaries, order separate legal representation for particular beneficiaries, and make other procedural orders it considers fit (s15). The Act binds the Crown (s6) and applies only to deaths occurring on or after commencement, with a specific exclusion for deaths within the Motor Accidents (Compensation) Act 1979 where that Act precludes an action (s5(1)–(2)).\n\n### Stated purpose and how the Act achieves it\n\nThe Act is framed to provide compensation to relatives of persons whose deaths were caused by another's wrongful act, neglect or default (title and s7). It accomplishes this by converting the wrong that gave rise to a personal injury claim into a continuing civil liability after death (s7), centralising recovery through one action for the family (s8) and specifying heads of loss that the court may award (s10).\n\n### How the law assigns costs, incentives and decision‑making (mechanics, with section citations)\n\n- Who pays: liability falls on the person who would have been liable had the injured person survived (s7). Damages awarded are paid by that defendant as decided by the court (s10(1)–(2)).\n- Who decides amounts and shares: the court determines the quantum of damages and how the net recovery is divided among beneficiaries (s10(1)–(2)). The court also has express powers to add omitted beneficiaries and order separate representation (s15).\n- Compliance and procedural burdens: the statute imposes procedural duties on litigants — the personal representative normally must commence the action (s8(2)); if they do not start proceedings within 6 months, beneficiaries may step in (s13). The originating process must state the beneficiaries and their relationships (s14). A defendant may lodge funds in court (s12), which then requires court oversight for distribution (s12(2)).\n- Discretion and judicial role: the court has broad procedural and distributive discretion (s10(2), s15). Where a jury tries the matter, references to the court in the damages provisions are read as references to the jury (s16).\n\n### Trade‑offs, implementation considerations and risks (mechanisms, not judgments)\n\n- Interaction with other laws: the Act imports other statutory regimes for some matters — contributory negligence is applied by reference to the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1956 (s11); burial and disposal terms reference the Burial and Cremation Act 2022 (s4(1)); the Act excludes deaths covered by the Motor Accidents (Compensation) Act 1979 except where that Act does not preclude an action (s5(2)). These cross‑references create dependency on other statutes for definitions and reductions.\n- Concentration of benefits and who bears costs: specified family members (as listed in s4(2)) are the defined beneficiaries and receive any award; the financial liability falls on the defendant found liable in each case (s7, s10). The statute centralises recovery through one action (s8(1)–(2)), concentrating benefit distribution decisions in the court (s10(2)).\n- Practical administrative effects: courts must supervise payments into and out of court (s12), make allocations among multiple beneficiaries (s10(2)), and may need to add omitted claimants or order separate representation (s15), all of which impose procedural work on the judicial registry and parties.\n- Timing and transition limits: the Act applies only to deaths on or after commencement (s5(1)) and preserves the earlier ordinance for causes of action arising before commencement (s2(2)), which introduces a temporal boundary for applicability and potential transition issues.\n\nSections cited in this summary: ss1–2, 4–8, 10–16."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/compensation-fatal-injuries-act-1974","history":"/api/acts/compensation-fatal-injuries-act-1974/history","analysis":"/api/acts/compensation-fatal-injuries-act-1974/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/compensation-fatal-injuries-act-1974/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/compensation-fatal-injuries-act-1974/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/compensation-fatal-injuries-act-1974/documents"}}