The McGowan Government has announced a new scheme to assist grieving families who find themselves faced with the unexpected funeral costs for beloved friends or relatives.
The Homicide Funeral Assistance Scheme will provide $8,000 towards the cost of a funeral where the cause of death was murder, manslaughter or unlawful assault causing death.
Previously, eligible victims would need to make an application through the Criminal Injuries Compensation scheme. This new scheme will remove that burden.
The scheme will apply to deaths that occurred after January 1, 2018.
As noted by Attorney General John Quigley:
“Dealing with the murder of a loved one can never be anything less than traumatic on the deepest level, but now families of murder victims will at least not have to worry about raising the money to farewell one or more members of their family.
“We know that many families are forced to borrow money, go into debt or turn to crowd funding in these awful situations.
“Rather than have to go into debt or reach out through crowd funding, families will be able to access an up-front payment, payable through their chosen funeral director.
“I hope that this payment will allow bereaved parents, friends and relatives to concentrate on grieving their loved ones, and not worry about how to pay for a funeral.”
As noted by Ann O’Neill, Angelhands CEO:
“This payment will really take the pressure off families in the face of the unimaginable.
“It is a fabulous initiative that demonstrates an understanding and responsive WA community and State Government.”
As noted by Kati Kraszlan, Acting Commissioner of Victims of Crime:
“Our discussions with victims indicated a need to change the current processes so that the funding was available when it was needed most – at the time of the funeral.
“Funeral directors and homicide detectives have indicated strong support for the new scheme.”
