Village Roadshow Theme Parks, Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Gold Coast City Council and Jetpoint Pty Ltd are listed as respondents in the matter.

Outside court, Ehrich told reporters the applications on behalf of the families were preemptive measures for possible future legal action. Under Queensland law, there is a three-year limitation from the date of injury.

“Obviously, the inquest is adjourned to February so we won’t finalise that for some time,” he said.

“We have taken steps to commence proceedings to protect our client’s interests. There are impending limitation dates coming up so given the court closures we’ve taken the preemptive step to bring those applications.”

Ehrich said while the families were disappointed the inquest had been adjourned to next year, there was understanding about the process.

“There is a lot of information that has to come out of it. There’s a lot of evidence, there are a lot of witnesses, and I suppose the position from my clients is that we would like this done properly, which requires all the parties to have the proper chance to respond,” he said.

The inquest is probing how the crash occurred, including a focus on radio communication between the two helicopters. The court heard that due to faults with Jenkinson’s radio, a taxi call probably made from him was not transmitted before the crash.

Jenkinson’s partner, Kosha Richardson-Johnson, launched separate proceedings against Sea World Helicopters earlier this year. The family and the company agreed to settle the dependency claim without litigation last month.