Hunter Valley Crash Families Press for Bus Safety Reforms

Ten people died in the June 2023 Hunter Valley wedding bus crash. Survivors and families are pressing for safety changes after an investigation found gaps in how authorities assessed bus drivers’ health, medication and conduct. Sharyn and Jason Junkeer, speaking publicly for the first time, say the government must implement its recommendations, not leave them on paper.

The Failures Before the Crash

The bus was carrying wedding guests to their accommodation when it overturned at a roundabout near Greta. The NSW Office of Transport Safety Investigations (OTSI) found the bus travelled at 56.48km/h shortly before tipping; speeds above 47km/h were likely to cause a rollover.

Brett Button, then 58, had seven years’ bus-driving experience and had taken more than his prescribed dose of tramadol, an opioid he used for back pain. He survived with minor injuries.

In 2022, Button’s WorkCover claim led to a referral to a pain management clinic. The clinic sent a report noting “an opiate dependence disorder with features of vulnerability to addiction” to his then employer, CDC NSW, which suspended him from driving in June 2022.

Button was due to undergo an independent medical assessment before returning to work on October 19. He resigned that day, then applied to Linq Buslines. OTSI found CDC NSW didn’t tell Linq about his health issues because privacy legislation barred it from sharing a driver’s health information without consent. In a recent court case against Linq, a judge called the company’s reference check “flippant.”

During Button’s six years at CDC, OTSI found, the company upheld 12 complaints against him, alongside one compliment. Those complaints weren’t passed on to Linq. The report also found no record that Button, his GP or his former employer had told Transport for NSW (TfNSW) about his substance-misuse history.

Bus drivers can take tramadol, although pilots can’t. Train drivers must tell TfNSW if they take it. OTSI said “there was no defined list of medications that commercial [bus] drivers within NSW were prohibited from taking or which were required to be declared.” The prescribing doctor and driver held primary responsibility for assessing a drug’s effect on driving.

The Cost to Passengers and Families

Just six of the bus’s 35 passengers wore seatbelts. Button wore his belt but didn’t tell passengers to buckle up, despite the bus company’s protocols. Neither Sharyn nor Jason had a seatbelt on.

Jason struck the windscreen. He climbed out of the wreck to help Sharyn and other passengers trapped by jammed seatbelts, then passed out. Sharyn broke her pelvis and lower back; she later needed a skin graft and rehabilitation to walk again. Jason has a brain injury and psychological wounds and hasn’t been able to return to work.

Matt and Leanne Mullen lost their 26-year-old daughter Rebecca, a junior doctor. Matt said Button’s sentence left him numb: “It didn’t change anything.” Button initially faced 10 counts of manslaughter. After a plea deal, those charges became 10 counts of dangerous driving occasioning death. He pleaded guilty to 25 other charges and received a 32-year jail sentence, with a non-parole period of 24 years.

Linq Buslines, now defunct, pleaded guilty to breaching National Heavy Vehicle laws and received a $650,000 fine in August. Matt Mullen said the penalties were “a slap on the wrist” and didn’t send a message to the bus industry about managing drivers.

Reforms Still Under Review

The NSW government accepted, or accepted in principle, all 21 recommendations relating to TfNSW; another 20 concern other authorities. TfNSW and the National Transport Commission are reviewing recommendations on safe medication management. NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison supports adding a list of notifiable medications to TfNSW medical assessment forms and expects changes within the next 12 months.

The federal transport department approved requirements for buses to use audio and visual messages telling passengers to wear seatbelts. OTSI said most buses would take about 25 years to comply. Aitchison said a “buckle up on buses” campaign began across NSW in 2024.

OTSI also recommended a review of large or non-standard roundabouts, including the elliptical Branxton interchange. The report found the oval shape created a tightening curve that required drivers to adjust their speed and steering. No signs told drivers to slow down on Button’s approach at the time; authorities have since installed a slow-down sign some distance from the entry.

Sharyn said she wanted compulsory reporting when medical professionals know a person they’re treating has an alcohol or drug issue and drives buses or trucks. The detailed OTSI report and government promises are only part of the work, she said: “We want those other issues to be addressed and we want changes to happen and actually be implemented to protect all of us.”