The Government yesterday confirmed in Question Time no new Death, Funerals, Burial and Cremation legislation will be introduced this term.

Independent MP Dr Elizabeth Kerekere also asked the Minister of Health what happened to the public consulation process around the burial and cremation legislation review.

“Associate Minister, the Hon Barbara Edmonds' answer made it clear she does not know, and does not want to know that, for concerned community groups, the public consultation process has been a farce” says spokesperson Fergus Wheeler.

Death Without Debt members were in the House yesterday and say the disinterest in the workable solutions being offered to tackle funeral poverty is disappointing.

“The most important reform, mandating doctors to complete pre-disposal paperwork rather than referring patients to the funeral industry for this simple, two minute task, simply requires a directive. For a Government that supposedly wants to tackle poverty, that could be something they could point to going into the election.”

© Scoop Media