The Youpla Support Program phone line, designed to support First Nations people impacted by the collapse of funeral insurance provider the Youpla Group, opened for incoming calls on Monday.
The Youpla Group, also known as the Aboriginal Community Benefit Fund (ACBF), sold funeral insurance policies to Indigenous people. When the company collapsed in 2022, many people could no longer pay for funeral expenses and conduct Sorry Business.
$67 million in funding provided by the federal government for resolution payments through the Youpla Support Program aims to help approximately 14,000 people recover from financial loss and provide certainty to families. The program runs until 30 June, 2026.
A payment through the program will be available for people who paid for an ACBF/Youpla funeral fund on or after 1 August 2015. The program will pay 60 per cent of the amount paid for the policy, up to the total value of their policy.
If a payment is $1000 or more, recipients will be able to choose between a designated funeral bond to pay for Sorry Business, or a lump sum payment. Financial counselling will be available to help make the choice.
Eligible recipients will not need to apply or register, Services Australia will make contact by phone in coming weeks. Those who need to pay for Sorry Business urgently will be able to call Services Australia on 1800 136 380 to get the process started earlier.
The initiative follows the interim Youpla Group Funeral Benefits Program, which closed on 30 June 2024 and allowed the families of former members to claim a grant to cover immediate funeral expenses.
Financial Counselling Australia financial capability coordinator, Wangkumara/Barkandji woman Lynda Edwards, said the Youpla Support Program "will give mob the dignity of choosing how they want to save for sorry business for themselves and their family".
"It is still not the end as thousands will need to be contacted, but we now have a certain pathway to help mob out. We strongly encourage mob to take up the free financial counselling support when deciding how to use the payment," she said.
Aboriginal Senior Solicitor at Mob Strong Debt Help, Dunghutti man Mark Holden, said "Youpla or ACBF took millions of dollars from some of Australia's most vulnerable people to exploit the cultural importance of sorry business".
"Ministers Linda Burney and Stephen Jones stepped up with the Save Sorry Business Coalition to create the Youpla Support Program," he said.
Minister Burney said the Youpla Support Program will ensure 14,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families "can get a financial resolution so sorely needed after the Youpla collapse".
"This money will help First Nations families recover from the financial stress they have endured, through no fault of their own, at a time when they are most vulnerable dealing with the loss of a loved one," she said.
"The Albanese government has provided continual support for families who have been affected through the interim program, and now an enduring resolution through this new program."
More information about the Youpla Support Program is available via niaa.gov.au/Youpla or through Services Australia on 1800 136 380.
