A Guardian Australia investigation has uncovered more than 100 unmarked communal graves across New South Wales, with a few in Queensland, used by state governments to bury people deemed too poor to afford individual funerals. The graves, often holding four or more bodies, include Vietnam veterans, cancer patients, people with gambling addictions, severe mental illness, and migrants whose families cannot afford repatriation costs.
The investigation relied on family and friends’ testimonies, homelessness sector input, cemetery registry analysis and aerial imagery. It found that the NSW government is using bare stretches of earth between dirt walkways and old headstones at Rookwood cemetery in Sydney to inter four to six strangers together. In at least six cases, authorities failed to contact or inform friends, family or support workers about the use of unmarked communal graves, breaching a NSW policy designed to avoid unnecessary distress.
Families and friends have described the practice as “unspeakable” and “a disgrace.” Chantel Dubsky, whose brother Roger Davies, a rough sleeper, was buried with four strangers at Rookwood without her knowledge, said he should have had the opportunity to be laid to rest with his relatives in Adelaide. The homelessness sector, including the Rev Bill Crews Foundation, has been outraged, noting that it was never notified of the deaths or impending burials of its clients.
The investigation also revealed that two Vietnam veterans, both Royal Australian Navy servicemen, were buried in unmarked communal graves in 2024 and 2025 despite a federal funding program from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs that could have covered their funerals. DVA was never approached for funding.
NSW Health has apologized for the failings and announced changes, including a dedicated six‑person team to provide alternative funeral arrangements and improved relationships with community organisations. Health Minister Ryan Park called the previous arrangements unacceptable and said that since early 2025 the department has adopted a more comprehensive, person‑centred approach to ensure all deceased persons are treated with dignity and respect.
