Northern Victoria Region
Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (14:32): (1675) My question is for the Minister for Health. I recently visited Castlemaine cemetery in my electorate to see several graves where humans have been buried alongside the remains of their beloved companion animals. To many, pets are family, and being laid to rest with an item like an urn is often written into our wills or requested of our families. But what most people do not know is that this act of a joint burial is actually illegal. It means funeral directors and cemetery managers, like my constituent Debra Tranter from Castlemaine, are left with the impossible decision of breaking the law or honouring somebody’s final wishes. Since I first raised this loophole in Parliament last year, New South Wales has gone ahead and fixed it, but the Victorian government has refused to act. Will the minister meet with my constituents facing this issue every day in the course of their work in cemeteries across northern Victoria?
The PRESIDENT: Before I call the next constituency question, I am really happy to acknowledge in the gallery members from the Republic of Indonesia’s House of Representatives, including the chair of Commission IV. Thank you for being here. You are very welcome, and I am sure we will learn a lot from you from your visit.