Arranging a funeral can be an emotional process, sometimes with added time pressures if the death of a loved one was unexpected.
Funerals involve significant expenditure. It is an infrequent purchase, often during a stressful and emotional time. The decision-making ability of consumers is often considerably impacted by their vulnerable state, time constraints and cultural expectations and pressures. Therefore, organising a funeral is different to most other major consumer decisions.
Consumers are generally unfamiliar with the options available and the prices involved with arranging a funeral. They may be offered a bundle of goods and services and be unaware which are required, and which are optional. There is also an absence of easily accessible and clear pricing information.
That is why the Queensland Government, through the Office of Fair Trading, is seeking the views of the broader community on funeral price transparency in Queensland.
The objective of improved funeral price transparency is to provide consumers with pricing information to make a more informed choice about the kind of funeral they want for their loved one. Funeral price transparency is intended to ensure a funeral provider’s price for certain products and services are disclosed upfront, so they can be compared with those of other providers.
Consumers, stakeholders and interested parties are invited to visit the Queensland Government’s website for detailed information on how to submit feedback, review the options paper and provide comments on the three proposed options.
Consultation is open from Thursday 12 August until Thursday 7 October 2021.
If you have questions regarding the consultation, email funeralconsultation@justice.qld.gov.au.
Source: Office of Fair Trading, Queensland Government.
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