Why choose a Funeral Director?
A Funeral Director is there to help guide families through the often emotional process of organising a funeral for a loved one.
They are responsible for making all the necessary arrangements with the cemetery for burial, cremation or entombment, and taking care of all of the administrative and legal requirements.
They will also help you with what may occur during the funeral service itself, arrange for clergy or celebrants, arrange vehicles and flowers, or place notices in the newspapers.
What should I consider when dealing with a Funeral Director?
Usually, the time when families must deal with a Funeral Director can be traumatic and emotional. It is not an easy process to manage and a Funeral Director’s role should be to support you through the funeral arrangement process.
We suggest you consider the following when dealing with your Funeral Director:
- Do not let Funeral Directors rush you into decisions. If you are not ready, let them know.
- Carefully read all contracts before signing them. If you are unsure, you are entitled to ask questions or ask a family member or friend to read the contracts with you.
- Under the conditions of their MCB issued licence, Funeral Directors are required to provide a written estimate of all funeral charges and disbursements at the time of taking instructions from a client, or as soon as is practicable thereafter. They must be clear on what is and is not included in their fees, including application of the GST.
- Ask Funeral Directors what cemetery fees may already be included. Some pre-paid funeral packages may already include time in an MCB chapel, so you may not wish to pay for time in a Funeral Director’s chapel.
- Expect to be treated with compassion, respect, understanding, integrity and at all times, with the highest standards of business, professional and personal conduct.
- Sometimes, a Funeral Director may need to collect the deceased from a hospital or nursing home – they cannot do this without the administrator’s approval.
What does it mean to be a licensed Funeral Director?
In Western Australia, legislation requires that Funeral Directors must be issued with a licence to operate.
The Metropolitan Cemeteries Board issues licences for Funeral Directors to conduct funerals at each of the six metropolitan cemetery sites managed by the MCB. These are Karrakatta, Fremantle, Midland and Guildford cemeteries, as well as Pinnaroo Valley and Rockingham Regional Memorial Parks.
MCB Licensed Funeral Directors (PDF 1.46MB)
For funeral services conducted outside of these cemeteries, Funeral Directors will be licensed by regional cemetery boards or local councils.
What does it mean to be licensed by the MCB?
Funeral Directors licensed by the MCB are required to do the following:
- Adhere to the MCB Funeral Director Code of Conduct
- Meet all legislative requirements
- Meet certain standards required by the MCB
- Have the appropriate equipment, vehicles and facilities
- Have the appropriate insurances in place
- Provide a national police clearance to the MCB every five years
- Undertake ongoing professional development as required by the MCB
MCB-issued Funeral Director licences are reviewed annually – our aim is to ensure that standards are met and that the community’s interests are protected during a particularly vulnerable time.
Are Funeral Directors members of industry associations?
In Western Australia, some Funeral Directors are members of Funerals Australia, formerly the Australian Funeral Directors Association, others choose not to join an association.
In addition to adhering to the Code of Conduct and Conditions of Issue of Licence required by the MCB, members of Funerals Australia may have other standards and codes of practice that they must meet.
Funerals Australia
Funerals Australia members are bound by a strict Code of Ethics and Practice designed to meet both community needs and expectations in all aspects of service delivery. The Code is a reassurance to the community of sincere care and professional service, particularly at a time of uncertainty and distress for grieving families and relatives.
Prospective member firms must comply with required standards for Premises, Equipment and Vehicles (PEV) before Funerals Australia membership is granted. Re-accreditation is required every three years.
Funerals Australia develops and promotes professional standards in the funeral industry. In conjunction with its Membership, community groups and professional expertise, they have developed several standards for industry practice. These are based upon fundamental and legitimate occupational health and safety, public health, legal and community standards. Funerals Australia member firms are required to abide by these standards.
For more information visit the Funerals Australia website
What if I don’t want to use a Funeral Director and want to arrange the funeral myself?
If you don’t wish to use a licensed Funeral Director, you may apply for a Single Funeral Permit, which is permitted under the Cemeteries Act 1986. This will allow you to take responsibility for all of the funeral arrangements.
Typically, the senior member of the family, or other person who may have lawful possession of the deceased is expected to apply for the Single Funeral Permit in person.
Making the necessary arrangements for a burial or cremation using a Single Funeral Permit does require a substantial amount of work in typically a five to seven day period. This includes administrative paperwork; obtaining appropriate public liability insurance; making arrangements for appropriate storage of the deceased; and arranging coffins and vehicles. Over time, the MCB has observed that making such arrangements can be quite stressful for families as they are also grieving the death of a loved one. As a result, the MCB does recommend that families use a licensed Funeral Director, as these companies are highly experienced in making all of the necessary arrangements.
However, should families wish to use a Single Funeral Permit, the MCB will be happy to assist with these arrangements.
Information for Single Funeral Permits can be found here:
Single Funeral Package – BURIAL – Information and Forms 2025-26
Single Funeral Package - CREMATION - Information and Forms 2025-26
What if I have a complaint about a Funeral Director?
If you have a complaint about your Funeral Director, we encourage you to try to resolve it directly with the Funeral Director themselves. Ideally, this will allow both parties to come to a satisfactory resolution.
If you have tried unsuccessfully to resolve your concern directly, make contact with the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board.
If you have a complaint about a Funeral Director, to help us investigate, we may ask you to provide the following information:
- The name of the deceased, the date of funeral, the name of the administrator
- The date, time, location, manner of the issue of complaint (ie in person, at funeral, over the phone etc)
- Exactly what happened and why you wish to make a complaint
- What resolution you may be after.
Following receipt of this information, the MCB may then investigate the matter further, which may mean speaking with you, the Funeral Director or any other people involved. The MCB will assess all of the gathered information or evidence and then make a determination as to the next steps.
To assist you in providing information about your complaint, you may wish to view the MCB Funeral Director Licence Code of Conduct, as this provides Funeral Directors with guidance on how to interact with their clients.
Advise WA Consumer Protection
It is possible that your complaint may be beyond the legislative powers of the MCB.
In this case, we may refer you to the WA Department of Commerce – Consumer Protection for further advice.
Advise the relevant Member Association
If they are a member of Funerals Australia you may wish to alert that Association, who may then take further action regarding their member.
How can I become a Funeral Director?
Sometimes, after experiencing a funeral, people feel that they would like to become a Funeral Director in order to help others through this difficult time.
In Western Australia, becoming a Funeral Director is a complex responsibility. Funeral Directors must support families during some of the most distressing moments of their lives, when they may be vulnerable and in need of someone reliable to guide them through funeral arrangements.
Working as a Funeral Director can be rewarding; however, it is also an emotional profession that can be physically and mentally demanding. Working hours are often irregular and, in addition to supporting families from diverse beliefs, cultures and expectations, Funeral Directors must meet extensive administrative and legislative requirements.
If you are interested in joining the industry, one option is to seek employment with an established funeral company. The Metropolitan Cemeteries Board maintains a list of licensed Funeral Directors in Western Australia, which you can use to identify companies to approach for job opportunities. You can find this list at the bottom of this page.
If you intend to operate your own funeral business in the Perth metropolitan area, you will need to apply for an MCB Funeral Director Licence. Before contacting the MCB, please review the information for prospective applicants (PDF, 330KB) to understand the requirements and responsibilities involved in becoming a licensed Funeral Director.
Code of Conduct
Show moreCode of Conduct for Metropolitan Cemeteries Board Licensed Funeral Directors
As a condition of your licence as a Funeral Director licensed by the MCB, you agree to adhere to the provisions of the MCB’s Code of Conduct which are –
- Comply with all laws of the State, in particular: Cemeteries Act 1986 (WA), Cremation Act 1929 (WA), Cremation Regulations 1954 (WA) and the Metropolitan Cemeteries By-law 1992 (WA) and all State of Emergency Declarations and Directions issued by the Western Australian government.
- Comply with all MCB policies and procedures
- Align your conduct with the MCB values of compassion, respect, understanding and integrity.
- Interact with MCB employees and contractors with professionalism, courtesy and respect.
- Not engage in unprofessional or unconscionable conduct of a character likely to mislead, deceive, defraud or harm the clients you serve, MCB staff, or the MCB, in the course of providing professional services.
- Maintain the highest standards of business, professional and personal conduct.
- Maintain, in all circumstances, the confidentiality and trust placed in Funeral Directors by clients, their families, members of the public and MCB staff.
- Ensure that all employees are suitably qualified and competent, including being trained to complete required administrative and operational tasks to a professional standard.
- Ensure that all facilities and equipment (including vehicles) are adequate for all services rendered to the community as required by the relevant authorities.
- Accurately complete all MCB administrative requirements in alignment with relevant legislation and MCB procedures, noting that this may require a mix of digital (online) and analogue (paper) forms.
- Ensure all MCB applications to conduct a funeral including required supporting documentation signed by a client using electronic means is completed in accordance with the Electronic Transactions Act 2011 and the signature is identifiable and verifiable , using a process that would be found reliable if challenged.
- Ensure all bookings made on the Funeral Directors’ Bookings Portal are in compliance with the term and conditions of use of the portal and do not justly prevent opportunities for other Funeral Directors to make bookings.
- Provide complete and true information to clients concerning the range of services available and their associated cost, and the functions and responsibilities accepted on behalf of clients by Funeral Directors.
- Provide information in relation to goods and services quality and standards, being fit for purpose and provided with due care and skill, and the clients need for such goods and services.
- Provide a written estimate of all funeral charges and disbursements including funeral bundles and packages and the professional service fee, at the time of taking instructions from a client, or as soon as is practicable and include a clear breakdown of charges on a line by line basis in client quotes and tax invoices.
- Ensure contracts do not contain unfair contract terms.
- Include a full list of benefits and obligations that MCB paid-for services provide, such as for pre-paid agreements.
- Offer clients the option to choose to have a viewing and a committal service.
- Pay the set funeral services fees prior to the service if no account facility has been established with MCB, and finalise accounts within MCB’s terms and conditions.
- Facilitate filming a funeral service for the family’s private use where the filming has been authorised by the next of kin or the client making funeral arrangements (in accordance with the MCB Filming a Funeral policy).
Print this page
