The Public Health Act 2010 and Public Health Regulation 2012 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
- vehicles
- restriction of burials
- exhumations
- crematories and cremations
- maintenance of registers.
Following are the relevant legislation guidelines, medical referee information for processing cremation applications, approved cremation forms, and guidelines for exhumations.
Legislation
Public Health Regulation 2012 (Extract ss49-93)
Policy directives
Guidelines
Factsheets
Infection control procedures
Under clause 57 of the Public Health Regulation 2012 a person must, when carrying out any procedure on a body, comply with the guidelines specified in Part B of the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare as published by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Medical referee information
Cremation forms
Exhumations
Anatomy audit tool
Anatomy Audit Tool
Destitute burials or destitute cremations
Mortuary - audit tool
Registers and notification form