Separated? Coronial death means your body belongs to your spouse. Demand change now!
The issue
The law said my sister’s body belongs to the man that left her, a reality no family should have to endure. On the 11th of October Meegie died suddenly of catastrophic heart failure, no warning signs just here one minute gone the next. In March of 2025 her husband told her he didn’t love her, hitched the family caravan to his truck and left.
In New South Wales, when a separated spouse dies and the death is referred to the coroner, the legal spouse is automatically granted Senior Next of Kin status. This allows them to make critical decisions regarding the deceased's body, procedures to be performed, memorial arrangements, and the final resting place. This is not only distressing for the family but also incredibly unjust for the deceased who may not have had any ongoing connection with their legal spouse.
Why should the person who chose to leave have the right to decide what happens after her death? In many cases, separated spouses have moved on, establishing new relationships and lives, yet the current Coroners Act continues to give them the authority over such intimate and profound decisions. This results in painful experiences being compounded for families who are left behind. .
The legislation needs urgent reform, NOW so no other family has to suffer like we did. We demand a revision of the Coroners Act in NSW to give separated spouses protection and to ensure their families, the people that helped them through their darkest days don’t have to sit back while the person that left them takes them. Families of separated spouses should have the right to appeal the automatic Senior Next of Kin status granted to legal spouses, ensuring fairer treatment and respect for the deceased’s relationships and wishes at the time of their death.
Meegie’s Movement is calling for change. We hope that by revising the Coroners Act, no more families will suffer unnecessarily in such a heartbreaking manner. We advocate for an amendment that allows for a clear process to challenge the automatic next of kin status, enabling the deceased’s true wishes to be respected, and providing peace of mind to those left behind.
Join us in demanding this essential reform to the Coroners Act NSW. Sign the petition to stand with us in protecting separated spouses and honoring our loved ones' true wishes in their passing.
follow our updates on Facebook at Meegie’s Movement.
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The issue
The law said my sister’s body belongs to the man that left her, a reality no family should have to endure. On the 11th of October Meegie died suddenly of catastrophic heart failure, no warning signs just here one minute gone the next. In March of 2025 her husband told her he didn’t love her, hitched the family caravan to his truck and left.
In New South Wales, when a separated spouse dies and the death is referred to the coroner, the legal spouse is automatically granted Senior Next of Kin status. This allows them to make critical decisions regarding the deceased's body, procedures to be performed, memorial arrangements, and the final resting place. This is not only distressing for the family but also incredibly unjust for the deceased who may not have had any ongoing connection with their legal spouse.
Why should the person who chose to leave have the right to decide what happens after her death? In many cases, separated spouses have moved on, establishing new relationships and lives, yet the current Coroners Act continues to give them the authority over such intimate and profound decisions. This results in painful experiences being compounded for families who are left behind. .
The legislation needs urgent reform, NOW so no other family has to suffer like we did. We demand a revision of the Coroners Act in NSW to give separated spouses protection and to ensure their families, the people that helped them through their darkest days don’t have to sit back while the person that left them takes them. Families of separated spouses should have the right to appeal the automatic Senior Next of Kin status granted to legal spouses, ensuring fairer treatment and respect for the deceased’s relationships and wishes at the time of their death.
Meegie’s Movement is calling for change. We hope that by revising the Coroners Act, no more families will suffer unnecessarily in such a heartbreaking manner. We advocate for an amendment that allows for a clear process to challenge the automatic next of kin status, enabling the deceased’s true wishes to be respected, and providing peace of mind to those left behind.
Join us in demanding this essential reform to the Coroners Act NSW. Sign the petition to stand with us in protecting separated spouses and honoring our loved ones' true wishes in their passing.
follow our updates on Facebook at Meegie’s Movement.
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Petition created on 28 May 2026