12 Mar 2013

This way up: standing room only at the Top End

8:30 pm on 12 March 2013

A Darwin city councillor is proposing that people be buried standing up to make more economic use of cemetery space in the Northern Territory - commonly known as the Top End.

While the Territory is one of the most sparsely populated jurisdictions in Australia, the greater Darwin area is facing land shortage pressures.

Alderman Gary Lambert put forward the idea after the Northern Territory Government called for suggestions for reforms to the Cemeteries Act.

Corpses would need to be frozen before being buried upright, the ABC reports.

"If it's not frozen, it will wobble and move," Mr Lambert says.

"(Freezing) makes sure that the body is in a straight position and can fit inside the hole.

"The frozen body just slides into the hole with a lot more efficiency".

"It is just a very efficient use of space," he said.

"Laying people down takes up a lot of room in a cemetery, cemeteries fill up very quickly, and this is a very cheap way of putting people in the ground.

"It can be economical for people in terms of costs and it's economical for the environment."