The Future of Cemeteries in Australia: A Matter of Life and Death
By By Jo Davenport Senior Marketing Executive, Australasian Cemeteries and Crematoria Association More land for cemeteries and more sustainable burial practices will help address Australia’s burial space shortage. The provision of cemetery grounds and burial space is an important part of the cultural and social expectations within Australian communities. A strategic, coordinated approach to management of the interment industry in Australia is essential to address the critical shortage of burial space and to ensure that a full range of interment options are accessible and affordable to all cultural and religious communities across the country. With ever-increasing pressure on the use of available land within Australian cities and metropolitan areas, the ability of cemeteries to meet these expectations is becoming more difficult. New land for cemeteries within populated major metropolitan areas is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain because of the demand for other infrastructure in these areas. As the population of…