Cemeteries watchdog to get new powers to crack down on rogue operators

A interment levy will be expanded to all state’s cemetery and crematorium operators to pay for tougher enforcement of standards.

The state’s cemeteries regulator has been given new powers to crack down on dodgy operators in response to horror stories including a body being buried in the wrong grave, a cemetery refusing to bury a family together as planned, and a wife being told she may have been given the wrong ashes after cremating her husband.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that the watchdog – Cemeteries and Crematoria NSW (CCNSW) – has begun rolling out a statewide licensing scheme to set performance standards and consumer protections.

The new powers will be funded by an expanding a burial tax to some 300 operators across the state.

The “Interment Industry Levy,” about $156 per burial, currently only applies to Crown cemeteries. It will be expanded to all operators from 1 July.

CCNSW’s new powers will allow the watchdog to proactively weed-out rogue operators and give customers better protections.

The crackdown comes in response to a number of horror stories previously reported to the regulator.

Lands Minister Steve Kamper has given the cemeteries watchdog more powers. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Last year, a man who had reserved for four burial plots in a regional cemetery was blindsided when he was asked to cough up extra charges.

The man had paid for the four plots for his parents, his brother, and himself. When the brother died, the complainant was asked to pay more cash.

In another complaint, a crematorium operator told a woman that they may have interred the wrong ashes after her husband was cremated.

The crackdown comes after burial horror stories – though its not suggested Waverley cemetery (pictured) was involved in these complaints.

The operator then secretly exhumed the ashes to verify they belonged to the customer’s husband.

The saga caused significant distress for the woman, according to CCNSW records.

In a third case, in 2021, the family of a young child who had been killed in an accident many years before found someone else had been buried next to their child.

Steve Kamper said the cemetery regulator will be a tough cop on the beat. Picture: NCA NewsWIRE

The family had purchased three plots together.

The customer only got a verbal apology from the operator, according to CCNSW’s records.

In a fourth horror story dating back to 2015, a cemetery refused to bury a family together as previously planned an agreed.

Mr Kamper blamed the opposition for failing to fix Sydney’s cemeteries. Picture: NCA NewsWire

After losing a child, two parents bought a burial plot to fit all three members of the family.

The mother was later buried with her child. When the father died years later, the remaining family were told the second coffin had been buried at too shallow a depth for a third burial.

The operator apologised but did not offer a solution.

Lands and Property Minister Steve Kamper said having a “strong cop on the beat” will lift the bar for operators dealing with customers at the most difficult time in their life.

“We need a strong cop on the beat, for too long cemeteries were neglected by previous governments leading to a critical lack of supply for burial space in Sydney, with bad operators left unregulated and customers left vulnerable,” he said.

“We need to lift the bar with stronger regulation and better planning to ensure cemetery and crematoria operators and the public have transparency around pricing, service quality and future certainty,” he said.

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Originally published as Cemeteries watchdog to get new powers to crack down on rogue operators