New regulations put in place by Consumer Protection are aimed at making the cost of funerals clearer for those who may be distracted by grieving.
Under the regulations, funeral companies will be legally required to publicly display prices, enabling funeral organisers to access information upfront, compare costs and avoid the need to meet with a representative of the funeral company to obtain this information.
Minister for Commerce, Roger Cook said the Funeral Pricing Code of Practice “brings to an end unscrupulous sales practices relating to bundled packages”.
“The pricing and contracts in these packages often resulted in funeral organisers not understanding the total costs involved, with some optional items misrepresented as mandatory.” Mr Cook said.
“In many previous cases, the final cost of the funeral was unknown until after it was held, leading family and friends of the deceased to believe they were overcharged.”
He said the Code provided greater clarity and certainty surrounding prepaid funeral contracts and required all goods and services to be detailed, prices to be fixed at the time of signing the contract, and a 30-day cooling off period.
“Payments to prepaid funeral funds need to be managed within secure investments under the name of the client until they are required,” Mr Cook said.
“A six-month period will be allowed for companies to put measures in place to comply with the new Code, but they are encouraged to comply as soon as possible.”
The Code will become mandatory from 1 May 2023.
