Disposal of the Deceased

The Public Health Act 1991 and Public Health (Disposal of Bodies) Regulation 2002 regulates the handling of bodies both by funeral industry professionals and by members of the public. The regulation expresses rules rather than explaining how the deceased are to be disposed. The regulations control:

• premises and facilities for handling bodies
• waste disposal
• handling of bodies including embalming, viewing, the use of body bags and storage of bodies
• restriction of burials
• exhumations
• crematories and cremations; and
• maintenance of registers

Following are: the appropriate legislation guidelines, medical referee information for processing cremation applications, approved cremation forms, and guidelines for exhumations.

Legislation

• Public Health (Disposal of Bodies) Regulation 2002 - Word [97Kb]
• Public Health (Disposal of Bodies) Regulation 2002 - PDF [88Kb]

Guidelines

• Guidelines for the Funeral Industry - PDF [246 Kb]
• Burials on Private Land - Approval by Local Authority - PDF [26Kb]
• Bodies - Retention for Longer Than Permitted in Public Health (Disposal of Bodies) Regulation 2002 - PDF [70Kb]
• Cremation - One Body at a Time - PDF [53Kb]
• Burials - Exemptions Public Health (Disposal of Bodies) Regulation 2002 for Community and Religious Reasons - PDF [63Kb]
• Agreed Procudure to Issue a Transit Certificate for Transportation of a Body Overseas - PDF [33Kb]
• Shallow Burials - PDF [79Kb]

Fact Sheets

• Cremation Ashes - PDF [46Kb]
• Handling of Bodies by Funeral Directors During an Influenza Pandemic - PDF [59Kb]

Approvals

• Clause 11(1) - Institutes approved to conduct Certificate IV course to enable people to embalm deceased bodies - PDF [92 Kb]
• Clause 12(1) - Courses approved to allow persons to carry out invasive procedures on deceased bodies with List A diseases - PDF - [94 Kb]

Medical Referee Information

• Procedure to Appoint Medical Referees - PDF [31Kb]
• Application for Appointment as a Medical Referee - PDF [36Kb] Completed forms should be sent to Mr Santo Cannata, Senior Environmental Health Officer, South Eastern Sydney Public Health Unit, Lock Mail Bag 88, Randwick, NSW, 2031.
• Medical Referees by Surname - PDF [66Kb]
• Medical Referees by Suburb - PDF [59Kb]

Cremation Forms

• Policy Directive 2006_081 Cremation Certificates and Related Requirements - PDF [97Kb]
• Application for Permission for Cremation (other than Still-Born Children) with Statutory Declaration - Clause 36(1) - PDF [125 Kb]
• Application for Permission for Cremation of Still-Born Child with Statutory Declaration - Clause 37(1) - PDF [112 Kb]
• Attending Practitioner's Cremation Certificate - Clause 38(1)(a) - PDF [39 Kb]
• Medical Referee's Cremation Permit (other than Still-Born Children) - Clause 39(1) - PDF [80 Kb]
• Coroner's Cremation Permit - Clause 40(1) - PDF [94 Kb]
• Medical Referee's Permit for Cremation of Body of Still-Born Child - Clause 41(1) - PDF [77 Kb]
• Register of Cremations - Clause 44(1) - PDF [82 Kb]

Exhumations

• Application to Exhume Remains - Clause 26(2) - PDF [116 Kb]

Destitute Burials or Destitute Cremations

• Destitute Burials Flow Chart (July 07) - PDF [24Kb]

Mortuary - Audit Tool

• Mortuary - Audit Tool Public Health (Disposal of Bodies) Regulation 2002 - Part 2 Facilites - Word [106 Kb]
• Mortuary - Audit Tool Local Government (General) Regulation 2005, Schedule 2, Part 4 - Word [101 Kb]

Registers

• Crematory Register NSW - Word [47 Kb]
• Mortuary Register NSW - Word [271 Kb]