Funeral and Burial Instructions: Report (html)

Who should decide what happens at a funeral and burial? At preset the law gives the power to the executor or likely administrator of an estate. A person’s own wishes about what happens to their body are not legally binding even if written in a will. The VLRC made recommendations to reform the law of funeral and burial instructions in this 2016 report. Access the report from the links below.

• Preface
• Terms of reference
• Glossary
• Executive summary
• Recommendations
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Current law
• 3. Disputes
• 4. Community values
• 5. Options for reform
• 6. Proposed legislative regime
• 7. Right of interment and cremation
• 8. Which court or tribunal should hear disputes?
• 9. Mediation
• 10. Conclusion
• Appendix A: Submissions
• Appendix B: Consultations
• Appendix C: Funeral and burial instructions online survey
• Appendix D: Australian cases involving funeral and burial disputes
• Appendix E: Alaskan disposition document
• Bibliography