Catholic response to John Hewson

Dr John Hewson has written an inaccurate and defamatory article, “Selling off the dead” (October 16-22). His assertion that the NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, was “trotting Catholic Archbishop Anthony Fisher to meetings with Gladys Berejiklian, when she was premier” is completely false. Mr Perrottet was never involved in any communication between the archbishop and the former premier. Dr Hewson also asserts that the Catholic Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (CMCT) has wanted to take over the management of the cemeteries run by the other trusts and made a “takeover bid in the past”. The non-profit CMCT has proposed that it remains outside the Onecrown model as a separate provider, managing Crown land and providing cost-effective burials for 24 non-catholic faith groups it serves. CMCT was invited to join an unsolicited proposal to amalgamate all the trusts several years ago but withdrew after due diligence. Dr Hewson also says “a Catholic takeover would be a disaster. It would be incredibly offensive and divisive, and shows an appalling misunderstanding of the empathy required in the provision of cemetery services”. The CMCT has the backing of the major Muslim, Jewish, Orthodox and other faith groups in Sydney and it is both mischievous and simply wrong to suggest CMCT’S continued existence as a separate entity will be divisive. The

CMCT is solvent, fully loaded for perpetual maintenance and fully land-banked with DA approvals to build two new cemeteries and thus solve the burial land shortage on behalf of the NSW government. It is sad that the former chair of a trust placed into administration has shown his anti-catholic hand and confirmed his ignorance of these important matters.

– Gregory Smith, SC, Catholic Cemeteries Board