A key witness to circumstances around the death of a helicopter pilot in Antarctica will be prevented by law from answering questions about his own investigation into the death, an inquest has heard.
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William de Bruyn was in charge at Davis station during the rescue and medical treatment of Captain David Wood, who fell into a crevasse on January 11, 2016.
Before Mr de Bruyn took the job, the government had appointed him deputy coroner and special constable. When the pilot later died of hypothermia, Mr de Bruyn was asked to prepare a preliminary report.
The difficulty arose on Tuesday when Mr de Bruyn was called to give evidence at the inquest into Mr Wood's death.
The law says a deputy coroner "must not be called to give evidence in a court or judicial proceedings about anything coming to the coroner's knowledge" in that function.
The inquest heard the unusual situation, in which a person at the station took on that role of deputy coroner, and which gave rise to concerns about the possibility of a conflict of interest, had since been addressed by the government.
Chief Coroner Lorraine Walker said the Australian Antarctic Division had not appointed a deputy coroner this past summer and would not do so for the foreseeable future.
Now any deaths in Antarctica were to be referred directly to the ACT Coroner's Court.
Mr Wood, 62, was an experienced helicopter pilot on what was supposed to be his last tour of the remote continent when he died on Australia's Davis station of hypothermia.
On a routine mission to restock a fuel cache on the western ice shelf, he stepped out to retrieve equipment and fell into a crevasse, across which he had landed the helicopter.
He waited, wedged between the ice, for four hours to be rescued, as his colleague flew back to Davis station for help and then returned with a team of rescue specialists.
It was another hour until he was back at Davis and placed in the care of doctors, who cared for him through the night. But Mr Wood died the following day, on January 12, 2016.
The coronial inquiry is now scrutinising the circumstances behind the pilot's death at hearings in Canberra.
That summer, Mr de Bruyn was station leader at Davis.
He was a 41 year veteran of Victoria Police before taking up work for the Australian Antarctic Division, the court heard.
Before taking the job, the government appointed him a special constable and deputy coroner, and he took an oath.
Both roles give the appointee various powers.
Mr de Bruyn's barrister, Karen Argiropoulos, said while the man was happy and willing to give evidence at the inquiry he was concerned about breaching the law.
She said Mr de Bruyn could be asked about certain topics that were confined to his role as station leader before the death and his "welfare" functions in the days after.
She submitted he could not be asked about his investigative functions after the death, including photographs, exhibits, control of Mr Wood's body and speaking to witnesses.
There followed a discussion among the barristers for Mr de Bruyn, Mr Wood's widow and the Commonwealth, and the court heard the parties needed more clarity on what can and cannot be asked of the man while he gives evidence.
The inquest continued on Tuesday with another witness, Davis station operations co-ordinator Sharon Lubudda.
Mr de Bruyn will return to give evidence on Wednesday.
