Class B cemetery trust appointments

Under the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2003, Class B cemetery trust members are appointed by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Minister for Health. A Class B cemetery trust can have between three and 11 trust members.

Appointments are made in accordance with the Board appointment, remuneration and diversity guidance issued by the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Information about the roles and responsibilities of a Class B cemetery trust member is available in the trust member position description template.

Class B cemetery trusts manage the recruitment process for trust members. See Recruitment and advertising for more information.

Class B terms of appointment

Under the Cemeteries Act, Class B trust members are appointed for a term of up to five years. Class B cemetery trust members are un-paid volunteers and are eligible to apply for reappointment.

Note: Trust members appointed prior to 1 January 1996 are lifetime members and remain in office until they resign, pass away or are removed from office by the Governor in Council. Lifetime members are not required to apply for reappointment to remain on the trust.

Application form and guidelines

Applications for appointment are made directly to the relevant cemetery trust. The applicant (including a member seeking reappointment) is required to complete the application for appointment to a Class B cemetery trust (the application form) and submit it to the trust for consideration. If the trust endorses the application, the trust chairperson (or an authorised person if the chairperson is unavailable) is required to complete Part F (where applicable) and Part G of the application form.

Note: Applicants must complete the current application form. Previous versions of the application form will not be accepted.

All applicants seeking appointment to a Class B cemetery trust are required to read the application guidelines for appointment to a Class B cemetery trust and declare on the application form that they agree to the application terms contained therein. This document contains important information about the department’s use of personal information, probity checks and conflicts of interest.

Role of the trust

Class B cemetery trusts are responsible for the selection and nomination of candidates for appointment to the trust.

Each Class B trust is responsible for:

• developing a position description, reviewing the trust’s skills matrix, and setting the selection criteria for each vacancy to ensure that new members fill existing skill gaps and the trust has an appropriate mix of skills, experience and perspectives
• conducting interviews
• conducting referee checks.

If the application is endorsed by the trust, the trust chairperson (or an authorised person if the chairperson is unavailable) will finalise the application form. The completed form will then be submitted to the department for processing via email to cemeteries@health.vic.gov.au. If the trust does not have access to email, applications can be posted to:

Cemeteries and crematoria
Department of Health
GPO Box 4057
Melbourne VIC 3001

Role of the department

The department will check that all application requirements have been met and undertake probity checks. The application will then be considered by the Minister for Health and the Governor in Council.

Appointment rounds

Applications for appointment are managed by the department in four annual appointment rounds. Applications from new applicants, former trust members whose term of appointment has expired, and members seeking reappointment will be processed in one of the four appointment rounds depending on when the completed application is submitted to the department. Each appointment round has a set application cut-off date.

See Recruitment and advertising for more information about appointment rounds.

Diversity on boards

The Victorian Government is committed to ensuring that government boards and committees reflect the rich diversity of the Victorian community. We encourage applications from people of all ages, Aboriginal people, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and from lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, gender diverse, intersex and queer people.

Conflicts of interest

A conflict of interest is a conflict between your duty as a trust member and your private interests. Applicants seeking appointment to a cemetery trust are required to disclose potential conflicts that may arise if their application for appointment is successful.

If you are aware of a potential conflict or are unsure if your circumstances may represent a potential conflict, you must discuss this with the trust. If the trust agrees that you have a potential conflict, the trust will consider possible actions for managing the conflict if your application is successful. You must include all relevant information in Part C of the application form.

Applicants with a potential conflict will be required to enter into a conflict of interest management plan if appointed.

See Class B cemetery trust governance for more information about conflicts of interest.

Resignations

Under clause 3 of schedule 1 of the Cemeteries Act, a trust member may resign from their position by means of a letter of resignation addressed to the Minister for Health and submitted to the department. A letter of resignation form is available for download.