Grave concerns over burial overhaul plans

Some of Australia’s oldest cemeteries will be taken out of the hands of religious bodies under a sweeping NSW overhaul, angering Catholic and Muslim leaders.

Imam Mohammad Abu Hurayra and Father Joseph Kolodziej, who both regularly officiate at burials at Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney’s west. Picture: John Feder

Some of the country’s oldest cemeteries will be taken out of the hands of religious authorities under a sweeping overhaul approved by the NSW government, angering Catholic and Muslim leaders who fear being sidelined from their stewardship of burials.

Under the plan, communicated to cemetery operators on Monday afternoon, the state’s five main operators who run burial sites on crown lands – including the 150-year-old Catholic Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust – will be placed into administration and merged into one agency.

The decision to amalgamate – taken after an independent review warned that the five crown cemeteries would be unable to accommodate Sydney’s burial needs within the decade and need more than $300 million for new land – came despite intense lobbying from the Catholic Church and other groups and opposition from senior cabinet figures.

It was met with anger from Catholic leaders. A spokesman for Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher said how the church cared for the dead and their families was “at the heart of the church’s teaching and practice”.

“For a number of years, Catholic cemeteries have been engaging with the government and senior leaders of faith groups on how to address this critical shortage and we will keep doing so to ensure that people of all faiths can continue to access cemeteries,” the spokesman said.

Muslim leaders who spoke to The Australian also cited scepticism about the government’s ability to conduct burials with the same sensitivity as the Catholic Church.

“The way they do things, it’s the exact requirements of the Muslim community,” said Kazi Ali, chairman of the Riverstone Muslim Cemeteries Board, adding that the trust had a track record of sensitive, well-managed burials for the Muslim community. “If they run the show, at least the Muslims, the Jewish community, they will have a dignified burial service. If the government runs it, only God knows. I’m happy with the structure of the Catholics – let them run it.”

Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher. Picture: Hollie Adams

But NSW Property Minister Melinda Pavey is expected to announce on Tuesday a centralised body known as OneCrown to manage the shortage of burial space and financial liabilities, appointing former assistant police commissioner Lee Shearer as interim administrator.

The state’s former director general of planning, Sam Haddad, will be appointed special counsel at the request of the Catholic Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust. The trust runs some of the state’s biggest cemeteries, including part of the historic Rookwood, the largest necropolis in the southern hemisphere, established in 1868.

The independent review, known as the 11th Hour report and released in February, warned that two of the five crown operators – who are funded through burials they carry out but face costs through perpetual gravesite maintenance – were already “unable to fund their obligations” to maintain cemetery sites.

The new agency will tender for a single operator to replace the existing trusts, and make a ­recommendation about the right operator to the government.

But the review found the Catholic Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust had been successful in its management, so much so that two alternative consolidation models were proposed to the government: one suggested that the trust retain full control over all crown cemeteries; the other that responsibility be split between the trust and another provider.

The trust’s chairman, former NSW attorney-general Greg Smith, said the government had ignored these models and opted for a design that marginalised the role of the church in burial management. “We are puzzled as to why the Minister seems to have turned against us,” Mr Smith said.

“Our mission which has continued in Sydney for over 150 years is to bury the dead in a dignified way, in keeping with the cultures of particular faiths.

NSW Property Minister Melinda Pavey is expected to announce a centralised body known as OneCrown to manage the shortage of burial space and financial liabilities. Picture: AAP

“The government has been reminded of this at several meetings with our Archbishop, who has been assured that our work continues to be appreciated.”

Mr Smith said leaders of other faiths had also requested that the trust continue in that not-for-profit role, and have said so to Premier Gladys Berejiklian. But Ms Pavey said the consolidation of the five crown operators would ensure their financial sustainability and address the urgent need for more burial space.

“The single operator will support consistent, transparent and affordable pricing across all Crown cemeteries to better support consumers, and ensure available land into the future,” she said.

The move to a OneCrown operator mirrors similar single-entity structures in Western Australia, Victoria, the ACT and South Australia.

Other cemeteries in the state, beyond those operating on crown land, are run by private groups, community operators and local councils. Local Government NSW, which represents councils, has also expressed opposition to the amalgamation plans.

“It is LGNSW’s view that proposed reforms do not appropriately account for the differing governance and ownership arrangements … and the differing circumstances and pressures on cemeteries in metropolitan, regional and rural areas,” LGNSW president Linda Scott said.

“It is critical that any reforms are undertaken in close consultation with local government and take into account the unique regulatory environment in which council cemeteries operate.”