The bodies were transferred last Wednesday due to a backlog at Sydney's Glebe Morgue, NSW Opposition leader Barry O'Farrell claimed today.

He said at least one other body was transferred from NSW to Canberra yesterday.

Mr O'Farrell claimed the backlog was due to the State Government's decision to close Westmead Morgue last year.

However a spokesperson for NSW Health Minister John Della Bosca disputed Mr O'Farrell's claims and said Canberra Hospital was the major tertiary referral centre for the southern half of NSW.

"It has nothing to do with Westmead. Those bodies would never have been taken to Westmead," the spokesperson said.

"The opposition leader’s claims are wrong and come at a time when families are distressed.

"Glebe Morgue is conducting between half a dozen to a dozen full autopsies every day. This month there were between six and 29 vacant bays in the morgue every day."

A South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Health spokesperson said Wollongong Hospital's mortuary was being upgraded.

As a result those bodies requiring specialised coronial autopsies were being transferred to Canberra for this procedure.