Australia-first reuse of cemeteries graves in South Australia sets off opposition but heritage headstones protected
Heritage graves such as this (left) for an original European settler of South Australia in 1836 are protected. It was also in St Jude's, Brighton, cemetery that didn't reuse graves – unlike cemeteries such as Cheltenham (at right).
South Australia became focus of a life-after-death debate for its Australia-first policy of allowing the reuse of graves.
South Australia imposed a 99-year lease of grave sites in 1863 and conditions for reusing graves were confirmed by legislation in 2014. Hannah Gould, president of the Australian Death Studies Society, told the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s) Radio National network that the South Australian model of limited-tenure grave sites had been leading the way in tackling the problem of Australia cemeteries running out of space. But the issue spawned opposition groups such as SA No to Reuse of Graves (South Australia) and Saving Graves South Australia.
Rights to use grave sites in South Australia in the 21st Century were for a limit of 50 or 99 years before they could be reused – unless the family wanted to renew the right. A grave considered a heritage site was protected by the Heritage Places Act 1993. War veterans’ graves also were better protected after publicity in 2015.
Under grave reuse regulations, Adelaide Cemeteries Authority, a business created in 2001 by the state government to manage 3000 burial and cremation services in the city, had to try to contact the family of deceased person before the grave right expired to see if it wanted to renew. The site wasadvertised and ,if there was no response from the family two years after the right expired, the site could be reused.
Cemeteries had to take photos of the headstones and epitaphs and preserve them and all burial records permanently. The headstone was taken away and crushed, and the stone used back in the cemetery. The skeletal remains were recovered and placed three metres deeper in the same grave. The grave could then be sold to someone else.
Adelaide Cemeteries Authority chief executive Robert Pitt said that at one Adelaide cemetery about 200 to 300 graves were reused per year. As a result, it “has served the South Australian public for over 160 years, and will keep doing so”. Adelaide metropolitan cemeteries reusing graves were Cheltenham, Payneham, Dudley Park, Centennial Park, North Road Anglican, Mitcham Anglican and Gawler Anglican.
