The 1997 Royal Canberra Hospital implosion shows what happens when complex demolition, contractor competence, regulatory oversight and public exposure are allowed to drift apart.

“It is not against the law to injure people.” It sounded absurd when I first heard it at inspector school. Then I understood the point: WHS and OHS legislation generally regulates duties, risks and breaches, not simply injury outcomes.

Gerald Hoekstra and Ede Taric survived the initial Rainbow Desert Enduro collision, but not the fire that followed. The coronial findings expose how compliant equipment, unverified escape arrangements and inadequate fire suppression failed when they were needed most.