Statutory review of the Act
The Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2013 passed in 2014 to regulate the interment sector in NSW. The legislation requires the Act to be reviewed 5 years after it began.
In 2019–2020, the former NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (now the Department of Planning and Environment), began a review of the Act.
Tim Scott and David Harley AM led the review. Tim Scott of Whitella Consulting has significant expertise in the cemetery and crematorium sector and David Harley has been a key advisor to the NSW Government on the interment industry.
The final Review Report (PDF, 24,6MB) (the 11th Hour report) was tabled in Parliament on 19 February 2021.
The government acknowledges the findings of the review and agrees industry change is required. It will continue to work with stakeholders to determine how responses to the recommendations are implemented.
Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal NSW (IPART) reviews
As required by section 145 of the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2013, IPART conducted 2 reviews on the:
- costs and prices of interment services in NSW and with a final report published in June 2021
- competition, costs, and pricing factors in the NSW funeral industry, and published its final report in August 2021.
Interment Industry Scheme
Cemeteries & Crematoria NSW have developed the Interment Industry Scheme which addresses many of the recommendations made by the reviews. The Regulations governing the scheme commenced on 14 October 2022. The Scheme will license cemetery and crematorium operators in NSW, with licensing starting from 1 July 2023.
For more information, visit Interment Industry Scheme.