NSW Health has apologised after a media investigation uncovered a shocking practice where people have been buried together in unmarked graves at Sydney cemeteries because they couldn’t afford a funeral.
The investigation by the Guardian revealed multiple cases of people being buried with strangers in unmarked graves at Rookwood Cemetery, with imagery showing plots dug between walkways and old headstones.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Unmarked mass graves uncovered at Sydney cemeteries
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Homeless people, veterans and migrants are among those buried in the shared graves.
Families say they should have been given the chance to give their loved ones a decent final resting place.
NSW Health has apologised. Credit: 7NEWS
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park acknowledged the issue, saying “quite clearly the dignity of those who have been passed as well as for their families is something that we need to take into consideration and we need to do this better.”
Metropolitan Memorial Parks, which runs Rookwood Cemetery, said the state government did not fund grave markings for people without means.
However, the organisation said family and friends could apply to memorialise someone buried in a public grave.
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