Improving safety and productivity are two of the biggest technical and operational challenges facing both the international and Australian coal mining industries. Hundreds of rock-related fatalities have occurred in Australian underground coal mines in the last three decades. Coal burst is defined as dynamic rock failure involving a sudden release of strain energy stored within the rock mass due to the disturbance of an unstable state of equilibrium, leading to high safety and productivity risks in the mining industry with the potential to cause multiple fatalities. It has been identified as one of the critical and longstanding engineering problems in underground coal mines. While there is now an extensive database available worldwide on coal burst phenomena, the international mining community still lacks clear scientific understanding of the causes and failure mechanisms of coal burst. This paper reviews the current knowledge and understanding of coal burst phenomena. There are a number of important considerations that need to be discussed to explore the origin and the source of the coal burst mechanism. Foremost amongst these is a critical assessment of the geological and mining factors, followed by in-depth evaluation of the contributing mechanisms. The discussion is extended with further comments on the roles and significance of energy, loading and gas, by identifying the current knowledge gaps. Based on that, the authors have identified future research needs and priorities for the coal burst management and control. An enhanced understanding of the driving mechanisms is essential for delivering reliable coal burst risk management and mitigation strategies.