page_title: Collinsville mine disaster
section_title: Inquiries
hierarchical_section_title: Collinsville mine disaster / Inquiries
caption_attribution_description: English: Members of the Collinsville Royal Commission, 1954 Members of the Royal Commission are being escorted by Constable Gordon Duncan at Bowen, during a break in proceedings. The members pictured are Walter Scott, Justice Sheehy (chairman) and Septimus Flowers. (Description supplied with photograph.). The Royal Commission was being held into the cause of a 1954 poison gas explosion at Collinsville State Coal Mine which claimed seven lives.
context_page_description: The Collinsville mine disaster on 13 October 1954 resulted in the death of seven men at the Collinsville coal mine in Collinsville, Queensland, Australia.
context_section_description: Initially, following the disaster, the Gair Government agreed to hold a Mining Warden's Inquiry in which miners would be able to give evidence. An initial sitting of the Mining Warden's Inquiry was held on 15 November 1954 with an adjournment to 22 November 1954. But the Gair Government then scrapped the inquiry after hastily putting through parliament a Bill which prevented any further proceedings.
  The government then decided to hold a Royal Commission after initially refusing the Miners' Union request for such a commission. This turnaround caused the unions to suspect the government had an ulterior motive and a 24-hour stoppage was held at Collinsville and 30 other mines.
  The mining union then requested that a union representative be included on the Royal Commission but this was refused. On 2 December 1954 the Royal Commission was set up. Its members were Judge Sheehy, Walter Scott and Septimus Flowers with Solicitor-General W.E. Ryan being appointed to assist. The first session of the Commission was held 7 December 1954 and continued into 1955 with 13 days of hearing in Bowen and 66 days in Brisbane.
  The report of the Collinsville Royal Commission was delivered in early 1956. The findings were that: "The actions of the Minister for Mines throughout were wise and correct. There are no grounds for criticism against the Government, any Minister for mines, the Department of Mines or any officers who played any part in the procedures and decisions to mechanise the mine". Reaction by the unions to the findings of the Commission were that the Commission was "falling over backwards to whitewash the Government for its obvious responsibility for the conditions that developed at Collinsville".
caption: Members of the Collinsville Royal Commission: Walter Scott, Justice Sheehy (chairman) and Septimus Flowers, 1 December 1954
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