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 the proposed Funeral Pricing Code.
This paper tells 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 will develop 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 will require funeral directors to:
- publish price and information on funeral goods and services on their website and at their place 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 will enable consumers to find funeral information and prices before engaging with a funeral director, and make it easier to compare prices across the funeral industry.
The Funeral Pricing Code was published in November 2022 and will commence operation on 1 May 2023. Funeral directors may start to publish their prices in accordance with the Funeral Pricing Code before this time, however it will not be mandatory until 1 May 2023.