KEY POINTS
- New migrants may face an overwhelming situation when an unexpected death of a loved one happens.
- The funeral director ensures that all the formalities are carried out in the appropriate manner.
- The coroner gets involved in certain scenarios where more information surrounding the death of a person is required.
- The Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry provides various services ranging from issuing the death certificate to passing on information about a death to multiple organisations.
When death occurs, family members tend to go into shock and grief and may not know what to do next. For many, it could be a first-time experience.
The processes involved in can be quite different from other countries.
Contacting a funeral director
In these circumstances, the first thing one should do is to contact a funeral director, says Scott Duncombe, funeral director at Sydney Funerals Co.
“When a time does come, the most important thing is to contact a funeral director, because they have all the knowledge, they have the understanding of everybody and the processes that are to go on, whether it be the body to remain in Australia, or if it is to be repatriated overseas.”
It is important not to rush things as this is an uncertain and challenging time. Funeral directors work closely with the family to find the appropriate and affordable funeral service.
“So quite often we will take a loved one into care, we’ll then meet them in a couple of days after that. And then the funeral will most likely take place five to 10 days following somebody's passing.”
Death registration
Registering the death is the foremost thing to be done in getting a funeral organised.
The funeral director works closely with The Births, Deaths, and Marriages Registry and helps in registering the death.
In most cases the funeral director provides the information required to process the death certificate, says Amit Padhiar, the Acting Registrar at The Births, Deaths and Marriages Registry in NSW.
The role of Births, Deaths and Marriages across the country in relation to death, firstly, is really to ensure that we registered the death that has taken place in our state or territory.
"This is often done through our funeral directors who we work quite closely, they will provide us with the necessary information that will require or parts of the necessary information that will be required in order to register the death of someone,'' Mr Padhiar says.
What is a ‘death certificate’?
A death certificate is an official record that provides proof of the death of someone. It is also a proof of a relationship with someone who has died. It supports families through that death administration process after someone has died.
The registry issues the death certificate after verifying the details of the deceased person.
A death certificate includes key information about the person's details, their family relationships, and the medical cause of death information that is provided by a medical practitioner, or the coroner.
In some scenarios, it may be required to investigate the cause and other factors surrounding the death of a person. A coroner will be engaged in such cases.
Source: Getty Images/Kris Loertscher/EyeEm
The role of the Coroner
Establishing the identity of a deceased person is one of the three specific matters that the coroner does, says Victoria's Deputy State Coroner Jacqui Hawkins.
''Investigate unexpected and unexplained deaths, including homicide, road accidents, suicides, and overdoses. And there's about 7000 cases a year in Victoria.”
As Ms Hawkins explains the main role of the coroner is to establish three specific things:
- the identity of the deceased,
- the cause of death, and
- the circumstances related to the death and where possible,
“We also try to make recommendations to prevent similar deaths and to protect the Victorian community,” she says.
When the coroner is involved, the time frame to get the funeral organised could vary depending on the various tests that the coroner must undertake to determine the cause of death.
The funeral is organised after the death certificate is issued and other formalities are completed.
Japanese funeral scene Source: Getty Images/Arrow
Types of funerals
The main types of funerals are burial and cremation and it's up to the family what they wish to choose. This can depend on the family’s cultural and religious traditions, says Mr Duncombe.
Australia is a multicultural society and funeral directors work closely with different communities to ensure cultural requirements are fulfilled, says Mr Duncombe.
With Australia being such the multicultural society that we are, most funeral directors will work across all societies and all cultures.
It is important that you speak to different funeral directors and find the funeral option that serves the cultural and religious requirements of your family the most.
For example, according to Islamic law funeral arrangements should begin immediately after the death of a loved one, and they must be buried as soon as possible.
The family can contact a local Islamic organisation to help with the planning of the funeral.
Some specialise in offering Muslim funerals or may have previous experience working with Muslim families.
Funeral costs
Funerals can be costly Source: Getty Images/Peter Dazaeley
In many cases, especially for new migrants, expense of organising a funeral can be overwhelming, says Mr Kuriakose.
“I had to look for an affordable funeral service. I called up a few funeral services and then finally found good service,” he added.
On average, funerals in Australia can cost anywhere between $4,000 and 15,000 or more.
If the family cannot afford to pay a funeral and the deceased person doesn't have enough money in their estate, the government will pay for a very basic funeral, which the family can attend.
Support in your language
In scenarios where a coroner is involved various measures are in place to support the multicultural society including referrals for grief counselling, says Ms Hawkins.
Every family is provided with a brochure, which is called what happens now. And it is explained in plain English, our processes in simple terms, and this document and some of our other documents can be found on our .
Some of the documents have been translated into 15 of the most widely used languages, including Arabic, Farsi, Filipino, Indonesian, Italian, and Japanese.
There are tools and support offered for managing the affairs of one's funeral. One service is the by the New South Wales Government, says Mr Padhiar.
"'The New South Wales Government has an end of life planner tool that allows you to ensure that your affairs are managed as you want them to be if you lose your capacity to decide for yourself or if you pass away…including things like preparing those important documents, like your will, [and] power of attorney.''
There are also visa-related requirements depending on the visa of the deceased person. Relevant documents need to be prepared to be handed over to the embassy of the deceased person’s country of origin.
Family at grave Source: Getty Images/Phillippe Lissac
The Funeral director works closely with various bodies to ensure that this is carried out appropriately, says Mr Duncombe.
The funeral director seeks approval before sending a body or the ashes to the homeland.
''If the body has been cremated here and buried here, the there is no real process from a funeral director's point of view, to advise an embassy as such.”
The family can eventually advise the authorities as part of the process after the burial and cremation.
Death notification service
The (DNS)is a platform that helps notify multiple organisations about the death of a person. This is a free national service collectively provided by the registries and has around 70 organisations across Australia, says Mr Padhiar.
Some of the organisations that are part of the DNS are organisations like banks, telecommunications, utilities, insurance, and other government agencies.'
The platform also provides translation services in 50 languages.