Department of Health

Key messages

  • Cemetery trusts are required to keep records for the cemeteries they manage.
  • Cemetery trust records hold significant value for the cemetery sector, the community and the Victorian Government.
  • Cemetery trusts have a range of record keeping obligations under Victorian law.

Cemetery trusts are required to keep records for the cemeteries they manage. Cemetery trusts are public bodies so the records they create are public records.

Cemetery trust records hold significant value for the cemetery sector, the community and the Victorian Government.

Cemetery trusts have record keeping obligations under the following legislation:

  • Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2003
  • Cemeteries and Crematoria Regulations 2015
  • Public Records Act 1973
  • Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014
  • Freedom of Information Act 1982
  • Health Records Act 2001

The department has developed a handbook to provide practical advice about records management for Class B cemetery trusts. The handbook also contains information that may be relevant to Class A cemetery trusts.

The handbook has been developed in consultation with the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner, Public Record Office Victoria and Cemeteries and Crematoria Association of Victoria.

The handbook includes the following topics:

  • Types of cemetery trust records
  • Prescribed information
  • Interment register
  • Retention timeframes
  • Storage
  • Information security
  • Privacy
  • Public access to cemetery trust records
  • Freedom of information
  • Digital record keeping
  • Copyright
  • Archiving cemetery trust records

Reviewed 25 October 2023

Health.vic

Contact details

Hours: Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm

Cemetery Sector Governance Support Postal address: Cemetery Sector Governance Support Department of Health GPO Box 4057 Melbourne VIC 3001

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