The Burial and Cremation Amendment Bill 2018 has today passed both houses of Parliament.
The legislation is an important step in preserving, protecting and, where appropriate, strengthening the rights of community members and cemetery managers.
After extensive consultation with the community and cemetery managers, the Government strongly believes that the Bill strikes the right balance between protecting the community, while also enabling cemetery managers to do their important work without undue regulatory burden.
Importantly, we acknowledge that a small number of cemeteries have been sold to private individuals under the current legislation. The Director of Local Government has committed to work through options in good faith that could deal with legacy arrangements as a priority in the second stage of the Review.
While this second tranche of the Review is underway, the Bill passed today will provide the necessary immediate safeguards for the community and cemetery managers.
The Bill provides for greater accountability in the management of cemeteries, without imposing any significant or unreasonable cost increase upon cemetery managers, and provides checks and balances to ensure probity in the sale and closure processes.