Information for funeral directors

The NSW Government Interment Industry Scheme is part of the Cemeteries & Crematoria Regulation 2022 – a licensing system for cemetery and crematorium operators.

The scheme licenses all operators and set clear standards so that families know what to expect from cemetery and crematorium operators and can make informed choices.

How the scheme affects funeral directors

While Cemeteries & Crematoria NSW does not regulate funeral directors, where funeral directors are selling certain cemetery or crematoria products to a customer (such as burial, ash interment or cremation) they will need to comply with some scheme requirements. This will involve using the operator’s contract, which contains certain mandatory terms and conditions. The customer will also need to be shown a basic price for the product they are buying, and be asked about their religious and cultural requirements.

This Guide to the Interment Industry Scheme for Funeral Directors (PDF, 151 KB) explains how the scheme interacts with the work of funeral directors.

The operator and funeral director checklist (DOCX, 421 KB) is intended to guide cemetery and crematorium operators in the ways they can support and inform funeral directors acting as their authorised agents.

Interment Services Levy

When funeral directors are selling certain cemetery or crematoria products to a customer (such as burial, ash interment or cremation) they may get asked about how the interment services levy applies to these services. We have prepared a customer-facing pamphlet explaining the levy and its rationale. Go to Interment Services Levy for printable digital versions in English and key community languages.

We encourage funeral directors to familiarise themselves with this and direct customers to it as needed.

If a funeral director also operates a crematorium they are an interment industry operator and required to comply with licence conditions (including the use of a contract for a cremation).

Future information relevant to funeral directors will be published here.