In March and April 2022, the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Consumer Protection Division (Consumer Protection) sought funeral industry and consumer feedback about a proposed Funeral Pricing Code.
This paper gives you a summary what we heard and what we did. A detailed paper of policy response to industry feedback is also available.
Consumer Protection thanks all respondents for taking the time to contribute to the consultation.
Consumer Protection has developed regulator guidance material to assist funeral directors on how to comply with the Funeral Pricing Code, including a template example for how pricing can be provided. This guidance material will be available on this website.
The Funeral Pricing Code now requires funeral directors to:
- publish price and information on funeral goods and services on their website and at each of their places of business, including the price of a basic funeral package;
- provide general funeral information to consumers within two business days of request; and
- provide itemised fees for all goods and services supplied under a funeral agreement, including the total cost of the funeral before entering into the agreement.
This enables consumers to find funeral information and prices before engaging with a funeral director, and makes it easier to compare prices across the funeral industry.
The Funeral Pricing Code was published in November 2022 and commenced operation on 1 May 2023.