Some Orthodox and Muslim congregations will run out of grave space in Sydney’s crown cemeteries in three years. In four and a half years, the Eastern Orthodox faith, which includes Greek Orthodox, will run out of burial space.
According to the Guardian, the disastrous situation has forced the unification of three crown cemetery managers – Rookwood general, northern metropolitan, and southern metropolitan – into a single organization.
How will the problem be solved?
According to the NSW government, the new metropolitan cemeteries and the crematoria property manager will be tasked with resolving the major challenges confronting the Sydney cemetery and crematoria sector, as well as ensuring respectful and affordable burial and cremation services remain accessible to all.
“This merger will provide certainty for the industry, staff, and consumers and a clear path to better manage our cemeteries so that the city’s burial needs are met and we can identify new efficiencies,” lands and property minister Steve Kamper told the Guardian on Friday.
According to an independent audit, the supply of graves for the Armenian and Antiochian Orthodox faiths will be depleted in three years, the supply of graves for Muslim funerals will be depleted in four and a half years, and the supply of graves for the Eastern Orthodox faith will be depleted in four and a half years.
Muslims and Orthodox believers use burial as the exclusive mode of interment.
It comes after an independent review found that quick action was needed to address “considerable” flaws in OneCrown’s governance architecture.
OneCrown was founded in 2021 by the Berejiklian Liberal government in a bid to unite NSW’s five largest royal cemetery operators and prevent financial calamity.
However, uncertainty about the project’s future hindered substantial investment decisions, resulting in the resignation of one out of every three employees.
“The independent report that was released last month highlighted the disaster that the previous government created through indecision and infighting. We will not make the same mistakes,” Kamper said.’
Funding is required to construct new burials
The expense of creating new tombs runs between $200 million and $300 million.
Pinegrove Memorial Park in Minchinbury, established more than 50 years ago, was Sydney’s ultimate cemetery.
According to City Hub, Sydney’s population has increased by approximately three million since its inception in 1962.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Greater Sydney will have 6.1 million people by 2033, prompting worries about the cost of burial alternatives for households as well as the availability of land.