Make a Complaint: Karrakatta Cemetery Headstone Removal - Saving Family Headstones at Karrakatta

Karrakatta Cemetery Redevelopment Complaint Template

Attention: MCB Chief Executive Officer and Minister the Hon Hannah Beazley MLA

Dear Ms Oliver and Minister Beazley,

I wish to lodge a FORMAL COMPLAINT regarding the redevelopment program underway at Karrakatta Cemetery, also referred to as Cemetery Renewal by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board.

The program has already seen the removal of monuments from thousands of graves. These actions take away the visible presence of earlier graves, disconnect families from those buried there and have caused widespread community distress, including concern that remains may be disturbed.

Memorials are not simply markers. They are part of the grave itself — physically, historically and symbolically. When separated, both grave and headstone are diminished. These elements belong together and carry meaning only in relation to one another. Their removal makes it extremely difficult — and in some cases impracticable — for future generations to locate, recognise and remain connected to their forebears. The practice of relocating headstones or recording names elsewhere does not replace what is lost. What disappears is not just stone, but continuity, memory and place. To dismantle these visible links to the past is to diminish the dignity of the deceased and the rights of descendants to maintain a connection with their family history.

Cemeteries should be places of permanence, reflection and respect. The redevelopment program at Karrakatta does not just undermine this principle — it dismantles it. A mere line in a book or a token replacement plaque is no substitute for standing at the true site of a loved one’s grave, completely undisturbed and marked by its original memorial.

I urge you both to put an immediate and permanent end to this disrespectful program at Karrakatta and to ensure that no such program is implemented at any other cemetery in Western Australia.

I also ask that you both please acknowledge receipt of this formal complaint and provide individual written responses as soon as possible.

To assist me in making this formal complaint, I have authorised Saving Family Headstones at Karrakatta (SFH@K) to send it to you on my behalf. However, I submit this complaint in my own personal capacity, as a concerned member of the public, and it should not be taken as being made for or on behalf of SFH@K. Please direct all correspondence about this complaint to me personally and exclusively, at the email address below

Yours sincerely,

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What is happening at Karrakatta?

A redevelopment program — marketed by the misleading term “Cemetery Renewal” — is ongoing at Karrakatta Cemetery, the largest cemetery in Western Australia. The Metropolitan Cemeteries Board (MCB) is the WA government agency responsible.

“Renewal” is NOT beautification. It is the mass removal of headstones, grave surrounds and plot numbers to make way for new graves, gardens and mausoleums. For many years, nearly all new graves at Karrakatta have been dug between occupied graves in redeveloped areas. These new burials will have headstones, but no meaningful memorial is left behind to mark the previous graves.

To date, 48 sections have been redeveloped with at least 29 more slated to be reclaimed in the future. However, according to a credible source, as many as 204 burial sections COULD ultimately be redeveloped — representing more than 75% of all original burial sections at Karrakatta.

For more information about the redevelopment program, please visit our home page.

Make your voice heard!

We’ve made it easy to lodge a complaint about the redevelopment program at Karrakatta.

Simply fill in your name and email in the form above, then click “Send Complaint”. If you’d like to view or personalise the message before sending, just click “Click Here to Read or Edit Message”.

Your message will go straight to the MCB (addressed to the CEO, Kathlene Oliver), as well as the Minister responsible, the Hon Hannah Beazley MLA.

We highly recommend adding details about your own family’s experiences and how your loved ones have been impacted. These messages are far more likely to receive an individual reply. If you prefer, you can also delete the template message and replace it with your own (just select everything and hit delete on your keyboard).

You’re also welcome to email the MCB and Minister Beazley directly. Just make sure to clearly address it as a FORMAL COMPLAINT about the redevelopment program, otherwise it may not be properly recorded. Their email addresses are:

Please note: If you choose to use our form, your name and email address will be visible to our website administrators. But rest assured that we will not share your details with anyone except the MCB and Minister.

Thank you so much for your support. Please make sure to share this information widely with friends and family.

We also welcome you to visit our Facebook page and join our group:

Facebook page: facebook.com/savingkarrakatta
Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/savingkarrakatta

Karrakatta Cemetery Redevelopment Complaint Template

What is happening at Karrakatta?

Make your voice heard!

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