Funerals Don’t Stop Because Of A Fuel Crisis

Funeral Directors are calling on government to recognise them as an essential service in any fuel contingency or priority-access planning and to consider temporary relief or support measures to reduce the need to pass on unavoidable costs increases to bereaved families.

The Funeral Directors Association has released the results of a Fuel Impact Survey showing funeral directors are highly mobile essential services; 81.8% travel more than 400 km and 30.9% travelling more than 1,000 km per week.

Operating cost increases, changes to service delivery and delays or logistical challenges are already being felt, and while funeral homes are absorbing costs now to protect grieving families, that cannot continue with 94.5% either already or planning to pass on fuel related costs.

Funeral Directors Association Chief Executive, Gillian Boyes says funeral directors must keep operating regardless of wider economic conditions.

“Transfers of the deceased, care of the deceased, funeral arrangements, hearse movements and support for police or coroner processes can’t simply be deferred,” says Ms Boyes.

“We are asking government to treat funeral services, including providers of funeral products, as an essential part of community resilience and ensure continuity of access during fuel disruption.”

Ms Boyes says failure to recognise funeral directors as essential services during Covid had a devasting effect on families.

“We are desperate not to put families through that heartache and stress again.”

“The fuel crisis isn’t just a business issue; it risks adding cost and stress at one of the hardest moments in a family’s life,” says Ms Boyes.

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