Mr POOLE - 2000-10-18
I understand tomorrow the minister will be introducing to parliament changes to the Cemeteries Act. Can the minister please advise how these changes will effect the…
Mr Stirling: It will not worry you in Coolum, Ecca.
Mr POOLE: I pick up the honourable member’s interjection. I do not see what is wrong with retiring interstate. Isaacs, Ede, Smith, Leo and Bell have all done it.
Mr Stirling: They waited until they had finished work before they retired!
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, responding to the member’s question I want to reassure him that he should not take these amendments personally or feel uncomfortable about them because we are certainly not introducing them with him in mind. But perhaps I should not be flippant about it.
Unfortunately, we have discovered on research that there are two areas in the current Cemeteries Act that contravene the national competition policy. So there are two areas that we will be addressing tomorrow.
Currently a person other than an undertaker cannot conduct a funeral in a public cemetery. So the amendment will allow the granting of a one-off licence so an individual can conduct a funeral of a family member or close friend. Government has proposed these changes so it will allow the local government body, the council responsible for public cemeteries, to provide a licence so that a member of the public can compete with and perform the same duties as an undertaker. Basically, a person who does not wish to avail themselves of an undertaker can seek permission from a local government body who are, as I said, responsible for the public cemeteries to grant a one-off licence for them so they can conduct the funeral themselves.
The other area that we are looking at is, the bill will, with the approval of the minister, allow a crematorium to be erected and operated outside a public cemetery. At the moment there is no private crematorium outside a public cemetery in the Northern Territory. They can only be erected – and I know for instance, in Alice Springs this has been discussed at times whether a private undertaker can actually establish their own private crematorium. Of course there will have to be conditions to apply because there are a number of problems associated or could be associated with having a crematorium. There has been evidence from the southern states, concern about the entry of backyard operators into this area. There is the potential for problems in the area of health. We would be concerned about multiple funerals or cremations in one furnace. Sounds a bit gory, doesn’t it. There could be unscrupulous dealings with valuables from bodies. There could be recycling of coffin furniture. So obviously we need to monitor these and make sure there are regulations to safe guard any of these things.
Ministerial approval will be required. The minister may specify conditions concerning the location, erection, maintenance and upkeep and improvement in relation to that crematorium. There is potential for someone to go ahead and establish a private crematorium outside a public cemetery, but obviously with certain conditions and with the approval of the minister. We need to make sure that the person only cremates a body of a deceased person in a crematorium, maintain …
Mr Adamson: Good start!
Mrs BRAHAM: That is a good start, yes - maintain it in accordance with the act, and with any approval or conditions made by the minister under the act.
The amendments will be introduced to parliament. I do not wish to sound flippant, but I think they are important amendments under the competition policy, to allow broadening of services to be available to members of the public.
Mr Stirling: It will not worry you in Coolum, Ecca.
Mr POOLE: I pick up the honourable member’s interjection. I do not see what is wrong with retiring interstate. Isaacs, Ede, Smith, Leo and Bell have all done it.
Mr Stirling: They waited until they had finished work before they retired!
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, responding to the member’s question I want to reassure him that he should not take these amendments personally or feel uncomfortable about them because we are certainly not introducing them with him in mind. But perhaps I should not be flippant about it.
Unfortunately, we have discovered on research that there are two areas in the current Cemeteries Act that contravene the national competition policy. So there are two areas that we will be addressing tomorrow.
Currently a person other than an undertaker cannot conduct a funeral in a public cemetery. So the amendment will allow the granting of a one-off licence so an individual can conduct a funeral of a family member or close friend. Government has proposed these changes so it will allow the local government body, the council responsible for public cemeteries, to provide a licence so that a member of the public can compete with and perform the same duties as an undertaker. Basically, a person who does not wish to avail themselves of an undertaker can seek permission from a local government body who are, as I said, responsible for the public cemeteries to grant a one-off licence for them so they can conduct the funeral themselves.
The other area that we are looking at is, the bill will, with the approval of the minister, allow a crematorium to be erected and operated outside a public cemetery. At the moment there is no private crematorium outside a public cemetery in the Northern Territory. They can only be erected – and I know for instance, in Alice Springs this has been discussed at times whether a private undertaker can actually establish their own private crematorium. Of course there will have to be conditions to apply because there are a number of problems associated or could be associated with having a crematorium. There has been evidence from the southern states, concern about the entry of backyard operators into this area. There is the potential for problems in the area of health. We would be concerned about multiple funerals or cremations in one furnace. Sounds a bit gory, doesn’t it. There could be unscrupulous dealings with valuables from bodies. There could be recycling of coffin furniture. So obviously we need to monitor these and make sure there are regulations to safe guard any of these things.
Ministerial approval will be required. The minister may specify conditions concerning the location, erection, maintenance and upkeep and improvement in relation to that crematorium. There is potential for someone to go ahead and establish a private crematorium outside a public cemetery, but obviously with certain conditions and with the approval of the minister. We need to make sure that the person only cremates a body of a deceased person in a crematorium, maintain …
Mr Adamson: Good start!
Mrs BRAHAM: That is a good start, yes - maintain it in accordance with the act, and with any approval or conditions made by the minister under the act.
The amendments will be introduced to parliament. I do not wish to sound flippant, but I think they are important amendments under the competition policy, to allow broadening of services to be available to members of the public.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016