An aerial photo of the market's current carpark. National Trust of Victoria conservation manager Paul Roser said moving the bodies would take years and cost a lot of money. "In principle, we would rather they were left where they are," Mr Roser said. "If they do want to remove any bodies it’s an incredibly complex process. There are four to five pieces of legislation that have to be answered." But Melbourne councillor Peter Clarke said the bodies would not prevent any future works at the market, including the underground car park he has recommended be built.

"It’s not an issue," he said. Cr Clarke embarked on an $18,000 rate-payer-funded overseas research trip to Barcelona, London and Dubai late last year to inform the council’s long-term strategy for the market site. He said he did not believe the council needed to consider what would be done with the bodies before completing its master plan. "Well you’d do one of two options - one, is that you build down below those bodies in the car park; the other one is you relocate the bodies," he said. "We don’t know if we have to move them and even if we did, it’s not an issue.

"It’s a de-consecrated site. We’ll probably find old car bodies on the site as well." Ten thousand bodies, including those of indigenous people, are believed to have been originally buried at the site but those with marked graves were moved to other Melbourne cemeteries when the market moved on to old cemetery land. Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Brian Boyd said it was "blase" to believe the bodies would not prove a sticking point for any future projects. Mr Boyd was involved in a Builders Labourers Federation campaign in the 1980s against a proposed high-rise development and modernisation of the market. He said the makeover had been largely abandoned as a result of the community uproar against disturbing the burial ground.

"Consecrated or not ... you don’t have to be religious to want to honour the dead," he said. Mr Boyd said it was likely the bodies were ex-convicts and working-class people who had been unable to afford a proper burial. He said digging into the ground could pose problems for workers on the site. "If you were digging through the ground to make an underground car park and all of a sudden your digger brought up skeletons, or you were down in the hole and the next minute you had a skull in front of you, that would be disturbing for anyone," he said. Koorie Heritage Trust chief executive officer Sharon Paten said the gravesite must be respected.

‘‘Respect for the dead, especially our ancestors, both indigenous and non-indigenous, is a basic human right that cannot be ignored and pushed aside for development sake and financial gain,’’ she said. Ms Paten called on the council to engage with representatives of the Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri people. Councillor Brian Shanahan said the council would consult with stakeholders and the community before any works went ahead. He said it was possible the proposed underground car park could be at a different site, naming Flagstaff Gardens as an option. Cr Shanahan said the market site was a challenging and costly area to redevelop but it was time the north-west sector of Melbourne received a revamp.

‘‘We’re not anywhere near a definitive position but I believe we’ve got to start looking at it,’’ Cr Shanahan said. ‘‘We can’t just shut our eyes and not change anything.’’ A Heritage Victoria spokeswoman said any works "would involve detailed processes and investigation, not just in relation to the Heritage Act but also under legislation relating to the Coroner’s Act, Cemeteries and Crematoria Act, Aboriginal Heritage Act and Local planning legislation".



