Govt says new cemeteries dead space, floats idea to recycle interments

The government has released a survey asking Canberrans how they feel about the option of renewable tenure, as it looks to build a new cemetery in the city's south.

Currently, burial rights in the ACT last forever, but with three-quarters of Canberrans opting for cremation, there is a growing shortfall in the maintenance fund to care for cemeteries.

A discussion paper released alongside the survey said the ACT's current model for cemeteries was "unsustainable in the long term".

"Specifically, setting aside large amounts of land for cemeteries which can never be reused," it reads.

Woden Cemetery will shut at the end of the year, with almost all of its burial allotments exhausted. A planned extension was scuttled due to stage two of light rail.

The ACT Public Cemeteries Authority annual report shows the authority exceeded last year's sales by over $300,000 due to higher than normal reservations of burial plots at Woden.

The Gungahlin Cemetery has around 40 years of plots left, but that could shrink to 25 years if it's the only burial ground in Canberra.

The government has revived plans for the Southern Memorial Park cemetery and crematorium in Tuggeranong, but a proposed private crematorium in Hume could undercut its viability.

City Services Minister Chris Steel said the prospect of recycling graves was "likely to be uncomfortable for some people" but Canberra had to have a conversation about the ongoing sustainability of its cemeteries.

He said the government would not make any changes to tenure retrospective, meaning only new graves would be sold with time limits.

"Renewable tenure is not a new concept and our neighbours over the border in NSW introduced renewable tenure several years ago, as have Western Australia and South Australia," Mr Steel said.

"Ultimately, I want a contemporary, sustainable and flexible model to ensure a diverse range of burial, cremation and similar services that will meet the needs of all Canberrans now and into the future."

NSW introduced laws in 2013 to regulate renewable tenure of burial sites for the first time, with some cemeteries now offering renewable tenure options ranging from 25 to 99 years.

South Australia only introduced a perpetual tenure option in 2013, while Western Australia limits burial rights to 25 years with an option to extend 25 years at a time.

But the concept has proved controversial in at least one WA cemetery, as families with loved ones buried at Karrakatta Cemetery claiming they weren't contacted about plans to remove headstones when the rights expired.

In that cemetery, the graves were left intact while the cemetery was re-aligned, with the newly deceased buried in spaces that were previously walkways.  The Metropolitan Cemeteries Board said it puts notices in areas slated for renewal, runs newspaper ads and contacts those who have provided contact information.

The ACT government said perpetual tenure would remain an option in Canberra but did not specify at what cost.

If recycling graves was allowed, strict regulations would be put in place to ensure families were contacted to renew the plot.

There would also be a set period after the tenure had lapsed in which families could still renew the plot before it was re-used.

Cemetery authorities would also have to store the dug-up remains in an ossuary if the grave was re-used.

"Cemetery operators would be required to handle the remains of the deceased with respect and dignity and make information about the remains available to the family and the public for genealogical purposes," the paper reads.

The government is also considering introducing a renewable tenure option for cremated ash interments. The Cemeteries Authority's annual report showed there had been a 128 per cent increase in ash interments in 2017-18 compared to a 10 per cent increase in burials.

Complete the survey at: yoursay.act.gov.au/cemeteries-and-crematoria-act

with Zain Waseem