Key Points
- When planning their funerals, many pet owners ask to be buried with the ashes or remains of a beloved animal.
- Many public cemeteries only allow human remains, meaning pets legally cannot be included in family plots.
- Some funeral directors risk their jobs by allowing families to place a pet's ashes in their loved one's coffin.
Georgie Purcell is only 32, but she already knows that when she dies, she wants to be buried alongside the ashes of her pets.
Recently, she found out this is not legal, and now, the Northern Victoria Animal Justice Party MP is seeking to change legislation.
Since speaking about the issue in parliament in September, Purcell said she had been contacted by many constituents who were horrified to learn about the laws.
"I have so many pets and they're my family and that's a reality for so many people, our companion animals are our families," Purcell said.
"We can make requests to be buried alongside our human family members, but for so many of us, they're not our family systems or we haven't had children."
In Victoria, only human remains can be buried in public cemeteries, and cemeteries are not authorised to deal with animal remains.
If a human wants to be buried with the remains of a pet, it can only be done outside a public cemetery and requires authorisation from the landholder.
Most jurisdictions in Australia appear to have similar legislation, while in some states and territories, the decision is up to local councils or the operators of each cemetery.
Purcell said she believes most people are not aware of these laws.
She has also learned some funeral directors are breaking the law to give bereaved families their loved one's dying wish.
Georgie Purcell has the ashes of several of her pets and hopes to be buried with them one day. Source: AAP
"But there is this fear around being caught and being caught doing so comes with fines and penalties, and of course potentially losing their jobs."
Before a body is buried in a public cemetery in Victoria, an application for an interment authorisation — which allows a body to be buried — must be completed, and rights of interment are for human remains only.
It is an offence to provide false information in these applications, and the penalty can be two years imprisonment, 240 penalty units ($47,421), or both.
Debra Tranter is chairperson of a cemetery trust in central Victoria, and said funeral directors are faced with a difficult choice when families ask if their loved one can be buried with the ashes of their pet.
She said many funeral directors "turn a blind eye" and are quietly breaking the law so that a person and animal can be buried together.
"I've had people come to my cemetery with the bodies of their pet dog or pet cat wrapped in a shroud asking for them that pet dog or cat to be buried in the family grave," she said.
"It's a real shame because that's something that should be celebrated and should be allowed ... the legislation as it stands really isn't meeting community expectations."
Debra Tranter is a funeral director and animal activist. Source: Supplied
She describes the legislation as "outdated" and hopes she can be buried with her dog's ashes one day.
"Pets are family and pet owners know how special that bond is with your pet," she said.
"They are a family member, so even in death, they shouldn't be treated any differently."
Purcell said she expects more and more people will want to be buried with their animals in years to come.
"We'll keep pushing on it and hopefully get an outcome because it's something that doesn't cost any money to the state; it's just a small change," she said.
"I think particularly these days where the rises of companion animal ownership continues to grow and people like myself, millennials, are choosing our cats and dogs over human children, more and more people are going to want this."
