The government last month announced plans to merge the five existing Crown cemetery operators in metropolitan Sydney into one.Credit:Louise Kennerley
“The politics got ahead of us,I’ll be honest. But it doesn’t mean there is not an opportunity to find a middle ground,” Mr Barilaro said. “Emotions are at play and there are complex sensitivities. I’m not sure you can ever do it without some political backlash,but I’m confident we will resolve it.”
The government last month announced plans to merge the five existing Crown cemetery operators in metropolitan Sydney into one and appoint an administrator. It followed a statutory review that warned the existing trusts had unfunded liabilities of more than $300 million,and that Sydney was running out of burial space.
The plan to create a single entity to manage cemeteries on Crown land would result in the termination of the Catholic Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust,which operates three cemeteries at Rookwood,Liverpool and Kemps Creek.
Lee Shearer,the government-appointed independent administrator,said the “OneCrown” model was the best solution to sourcing new cemetery space,ensuring affordable interment services and maintenance in perpetuity for cemeteries as they reach capacity in the next five to 10 years.
Space is running out at burial sites across NSW.Credit:Janie Barrett
“Right now you’ve got duplicated boards,senior leadership teams,huge infrastructure and perpetual funds for each trust,all invested separately,” she said. “This is about sustainability ... bringing these cemeteries together enables those gaps to be closed in 10 years.”
NSW Water,Property and Housing Minister Melinda Pavey,who is responsible for cemeteries,announced the proposal last month. However it angered the Catholic Church,whichhas launched legal action against the state government,calling it an “attack on religion”.