Rookwood cemetery still burying poor in unmarked graves
NSW continues to bury poor people in unmarked communal graves at Rookwood despite a 2013 pledge, some containing four to six bodies.
Sixteen years ago, Jayne Kinsolving found her family buried in an unmarked communal grave at Rookwood cemetery in Sydney. A staff member showed her an overgrown section with metal stakes marking a depression.
When she asked where the graves were, the guide replied: 'You're standing on them.' Her mother, sister and grandmother had been deemed too poor for proper burial.
Barbara Davis, Jayne's foster mother, lobbied for change and secured a 2013 commitment from NSW government to mark all such graves. A Guardian investigation found the promise broken.
Hundreds of unmarked graves continue at Rookwood. Only about a dozen carry any marker.
A 17-metre stretch dug in 2026 contains over 40 people with no markers. NSW Health has apologised and flagged reforms.
- 16 years
- Years since first visit
- 2013
- Year of pledge to mark graves
- Over 40
- People in 2026 grave section
- About a dozen
- Marked graves at Rookwood
Why it mattersFamilies cannot find or honour their relatives' final resting places, and the state has broken a 13-year-old commitment to fix the practice, leaving the poor without the basic dignity of a named grave.
AustraliaNSW residents, particularly those in poverty, face the likelihood of unmarked burial and relatives in other states have no way to locate or visit a loved one's grave at Rookwood.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 2 h ago
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