Survivors of Australian bus crash call for safety recommendations to be implemented — ABC News Australia
Survivors and relatives of those killed in the wedding bus crash near Greta in the Australian state of New South Wales have called on authorities to implement the inquiry’s recommendations on passenger transport safety. The crash occurred in June 2023 in the Hunter Valley: a bus carrying wedding guests overturned at a roundabout and crashed into a road barrier. Ten people were killed and another 25 were injured.
As ABC News Australia reports, an investigation by the New South Wales Transport Safety Investigation Unit found that the bus was travelling at 56.48 km/h before it overturned. According to the report, a speed exceeding 47 km/h at that location could have caused the vehicle to overturn.
Driver’s sentence and carrier review
Driver Brett Button survived and sustained minor injuries. According to the investigation, he took a dose of the opioid tramadol that exceeded the amount prescribed by his doctor; he used the drug to relieve back pain. Button pleaded guilty to 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death, as well as another 25 charges. The court sentenced him to 32 years in prison, with parole eligibility no earlier than after 24 years.
The report also cites shortcomings in the vetting of the driver during recruitment. His previous employer, CDC NSW, did not provide Linq Buslines with information about Button’s health condition because of privacy-law restrictions. At the same time, Linq did not receive information about 12 substantiated complaints against the driver during his six years of work at CDC. In August 2026, Linq Buslines, which has since ceased operations, was fined $650,000 after pleading guilty to breaching heavy vehicle laws.
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Medication, seat belts and the roundabout
The investigation found that New South Wales had no defined list of medications prohibited for commercial drivers or required to be declared. Tramadol was not a prohibited substance for bus drivers, although pilots are prohibited from taking it and train drivers must notify the transport authority about taking the drug.
The state government accepted, or accepted in principle, all 21 recommendations concerning Transport for NSW. They include a review of the design of large and non-standard roundabouts, including the elliptical Branxton roundabout near Greta. Following the crash, a sign urging drivers to reduce speed was installed there.
Only six of the 35 bus passengers were wearing seat belts, although the bus had seat belts and a corresponding sign inside. The driver did not instruct passengers to buckle up, despite this being required by company protocols. The federal transport authority has already approved requirements for audio and visual seat-belt messages on buses, but the investigation estimates that most buses will need around 25 years to comply with these requirements.
