The administrator of the state's Crown Land cemeteries says operations at Sandgate Cemetery are being negatively impacted by procrastination over a proposal to merge public and Catholic cemetery boards.
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Sandgate, the state's third largest cemetery, has been a member of the Northern Metropolitan Cemeteries Land Manager Board since 2014.
Other cemeteries managed by the board include Macquarie Park, Frenchs Forest, Gore Hill and Field of Mars, all of which are based in Sydney.
It is one of four land managers, which also include Southern, Rookwood and Rookwood Necropolis. Their operations have been overseen by Lee Shearer since May 2021 under the banner of OneCrown.
A separate proposal involved forcing Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria to join the group, however, Ms Shearer, said the proposal had caused significant tension within the previous government.
The move, openly opposed by the Catholic Church, contributed to OneCrown never receiving formal approval to merge as a single operating entity, which would have resulted in the appointment of a board.
"The settling of an entity and the appointment of a board would have stablised the workforce and led to the development of a clear pathway forward to serve the communities of Sydney and Newcastle," Ms Shearer said.
Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper last week announced the Minns government would establish a two public operator model for cemeteries in NSW.
The government is also seeking applicants for the administrator's job, a move Ms Shearer said would further compound problems within the sector.
Ms Shearer has a distinguished record of community leadership in the Hunter, including serving as Assistant Police Commissioner between 2005 and 2010.
She said she had been unfairly blamed for the last government's procrastination and was particularly concerned the sector's instability would adversely impact those who work in cemeteries.
"Since the amalgamation of the cemetery trusts in 2012, there's been administrators in, there's been different boards and there's been concerns that we are running out of land. All of this does not bode well for the people who actually work in the cemetery or the people we are there to serve," she said.
Ms Shearer said her concerns about Sandgate had prompted her to appoint OneCrown general counsel Georgina Mason to a senior executive role at the Cemetery. Ms Mason will commence the position this week.
"Sandgate's physical disconnection from the rest of the bunch concerns me," Ms Shearer said.
"Georgina will be based at Sandgate a few days a week and provide support to the people who are delivering the services."
A recent independent report into OneCrown, which the government partially released this week, confirmed that uncertainty over amalgamation of the cemetery managers had delayed key decisions. It had also contributed to high staff turnover and poor morale.
It said continued government inaction would only worsen the existing crisis over land shortages in Sydney cemeteries.
Friends of Sandgate Cemetery chairman Tony Cosentino said Ms Shearer's advocacy in recent years had been appreciated.
But as the only regionally-based cemetery in the OneCrown cluster, he said it was essential for Sandgate to have strong representation on any future board.
"Our concerns are that OneCrown is very Sydney-centric. Because we are on the periphery, we need to create an effective way of participating in a dialog about what work needs to be done at Sandgate, Mr Cosentino said.
"If you look at some of the capital works that have been undertaken in the Sydney cemeteries, it seems like there is always money made available for those projects, but resources or funds have never been made available for projects at Sandgate.
"For instance, the Macedonian Community has been asking for a shelter. We have been told to apply here and there but we have never been successful."
Although Sandgate's burial fees are already higher than surrounding cemeteries, Mr Cosentino said Sydney-based advisors had recommended the fees be increased further.
The implications of that really need to be carefully thought through," Cosentino said.
'The Hunter's Muslim community is steadily increasing and their preference is always going to be burial. Some of them are newly arrived or refugees. Unfortunately sad things happen. It could potentially put a lot of pressure on those communities when they are trying to establish themselves."
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Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
