Court Told Public at Risk from Bus Driver Months Before Deadly Crash

A bus company and two of its directors are awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to breaching heavy-vehicle laws, months before the driver they employed caused a fatal crash. Linq Buslines, along with directors Christopher Fogg and Anthony Royle, admitted to exposing the public to risk during the seven months Brett Andrew Button was employed as a driver.

During a court hearing, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator prosecutor argued that the company's recruitment policies put the public in danger. The prosecutor stated that the offense was continuous over the period Button was employed, emphasizing that the tragic crash would not have occurred had he not been hired. Button, 61, was driving a Linq Buslines coach carrying wedding guests when he crashed at a roundabout in June 2023, killing 10 people and injuring 25.

Brett Button later admitted to being drug-impaired, having used the opioid Tramadol excessively, and was also speeding when he lost control of the bus. In September 2024, he was sentenced to 32 years in prison with a 24-year non-parole period, a sentence he unsuccessfully appealed. Families of the victims attended the sentencing hearing for the company directors, with some hoping to deliver victim impact statements.

Linq Buslines pleaded guilty in March to two counts of breaching the National Heavy Vehicle Law between November 2022 and June 2023, facing a maximum penalty of $2 million. The court heard the company lacked essential protocols and monitoring procedures, contributing to the exposure of the public to risk.

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It is important that your honour is sentencing [Linq] for the seven months he [Brett Button] was employed to drive buses and the public was put at risk during that period. It would not have happened had he not been employed.