A new crematorium in Gungahlin is a step closer than expected with the first stage of construction to be brought forward.
Announced by the Minister for City Services, Chris Steel the crematorium is now scheduled to be operational by October of this year to help cater for Canberra’s growing and diverse population.
“We have one crematorium for a city of over 425,000 people,” Mr Steel said.
“To meet the needs of our growing population the ACT Government will be stepping in to provide publicly-run cremation services like every other State and Territory in the Country,” he said.
Mr Steel said the first stage of construction involved the installation of the cremator and cremation facility, with the second stage to include the construction of viewing rooms to meet the cultural and religious needs of the community.
“Once the crematorium is operational, work on the viewing room, landscaping and access between the crematorium and other facilities will be progressed and is expected to be complete in December,” he said.
“The design of the crematorium reflects feedback received during the community consultation last year to better meet the needs of our Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain communities.”
Mr Steel said the Territory already had one private crematorium but with the current cremation rate of around 75 per cent, there was a need for additional cremation services.
