- Philip Urquhart becomes a magistrate of the Magistrates Court of Western Australia
- The experienced legal practitioner brings a strong criminal law background to the role
- His career as a coroner, a barrister, and a State prosecutor has spanned 35 years
Philip Urquhart has been appointed a Magistrate of the Magistrates Court of Western Australia.
His appointment begins on 3 November 2025, after having served as a coroner for the past five years.
During his term as a coroner, Mr Urquhart was responsible for conducting inquests and inquiries into sudden, unexpected, or violent deaths under the Coroners Act 1996 (WA).
He made recommendations on a range of issues in his coronial findings, including the safety and wellbeing of prisoners and the wellbeing of voluntary and involuntary hospital patients.
Mr Urquhart also proposed improvements to policies and procedures of prisons, hospitals, and police operations, and provided administrative findings to finalise investigations of 2,500 deaths.
Prior to joining the Coroner's Court, he worked as a barrister at the independent Bar and a State prosecutor with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
Mr Urquhart served in these two roles for a combined total of almost three decades.
He specialised in the area of criminal law as a barrister, appearing predominantly as defence counsel in numerous criminal cases across most courts.
Mr Urquhart was also extensively briefed by the Coroner's Court to appear as counsel assisting in complex hearings before joining the court in 2020.
As one of the ODPP's original prosecutors, he appeared as counsel in 250 trials and prosecuted a number of murder trials as lead counsel.
Comments attributed to Attorney General Dr Tony Buti:
"I congratulate Mr Philip Urquhart on his appointment as a Magistrate of the Magistrates Court of Western Australia.
"Over the course of his distinguished career, he has been a barrister and a State prosecutor in a multitude of complex and high-profile matters and presided in 50 inquests as a coroner.
"With his extensive expertise in criminal law and recent experience in the coronial jurisdiction, Mr Urquhart will help enhance the Magistrates Court's management of a substantial caseload."
