Funeral Fund Trusts
If you do wish to prepay, we recommend you pay a pre-determined, fixed amount into Australian Funeral Fund Management Pty Ltd. All monies paid to this Fund are invested and paid according to a Deed of Trust and Australian law. This pre-paid Fund guarantees the payment in full of the funeral service fee, even if the costs of that pre-arranged service exceed the value of the contribution made by you by the time the service is called upon.
All prepaid monies are held in trust by the Australian Funeral Fund Management Prepaid Funeral Fund Trust (A.B.N. 30 088 983 142), which is the Funeral Fund under the management of Australian Funeral Fund Management Pty Ltd (A.B.N. 26 102 698 162). Australian Funeral Fund Management Pty Ltd is a licensed operator of Funeral Funds in N.S.W. ('an approved fund') and is required to abide by all legislation including the provisions of the Funeral Funds Act (1979) and Funeral Funds Regulation (2001).
All prepaid monies are held in trust by the Australian Funeral Fund Management Prepaid Funeral Fund Trust (A.B.N. 30 088 983 142), which is the Funeral Fund under the management of Australian Funeral Fund Management Pty Ltd (A.B.N. 26 102 698 162). Australian Funeral Fund Management Pty Ltd is a licensed operator of Funeral Funds in N.S.W. ('an approved fund') and is required to abide by all legislation including the provisions of the Funeral Funds Act (1979) and Funeral Funds Regulation (2001).
Your Protection
The following rules are in place to protect consumers:
- A funeral fund must invest all the money paid to it in secure investments.
- All registered funeral funds must lodge annual reports with NSW Fair Trading. However, you should seek your own independent financial advice as to whether the fund is financially sound and viable.
- The funeral fund provider must be separate from the funeral director who is to supply the service. This ensures that your money is secure if the funeral director goes out of business.
- A funeral fund provider must provide a client with a 30 day cooling-off period when they enter a pre-paid funeral contract. However, the client will be subject to a $50 penalty fee if they cancel the pre-paid contract during the cooling-off period.
- A funeral director must provide a client with information on each component to be supplied under the contract and the costs of those components before they enter into a pre-paid contract. This information should also detail the services not covered by the contract and state clearly the terms and conditions of the contract.
- A funeral director must transfer money received from a client who has entered a pre-paid contract to a registered funeral fund within 7 days.
- A funeral fund provider must provide a client with annual reports that include particulars which will reduce uncertainty about the nature of entitlement to be paid. To find out what particulars must be included in the annual report, please refer to the Funeral Funds Regulation 2006 (Part 2 Section 8).
