Redland City Council is calling for urgent reforms to ensure Queenslanders can die with dignity, warning grieving families in remote and island communities are being left to cope with costly delays and inadequate facilities.
The emotionally charged issue will headline a suite of six motions the council will take to October’s Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) conference in Cairns.
Among the most confronting proposals is a call for the Queensland Government to fund cold body storage facilities with basic mortuary equipment across isolated, remote and island communities, allowing deceased people to remain in their local communities while awaiting transport or funeral arrangements.
Acting Mayor Julie Talty said the facilities would ease the financial and emotional burden on families.
“These facilities would minimise delays and the financial burden associated with travel, including long-distance and island transfer costs, for families and service providers,” Cr Talty said.
“They would also enable timely and dignified local management of deceased persons, including the ability to remain on Country where appropriate.”
The council is also pushing for an overhaul of Queensland’s funeral assistance system, arguing vulnerable families are waiting too long for financial support when a loved one dies.
Cr Talty said the current arrangements under the Burials Assistance Act were leaving some councils to step in when government assistance was delayed or unavailable.
The motion calls for targeted funding so local governments can better support residents experiencing financial hardship while waiting for funeral assistance decisions.
The dignity-in-death campaign is one of six statewide advocacy motions Redlands will put before Queensland councils.
Other proposals include returning responsibility for state school car parks to the Department of Education, reforming financial arrangements between state and local governments, expanding funding eligibility for council CCTV programs, and extending Queensland Youth Week grant timeframes.
Cr Talty said the Youth Week proposal sought a minimum six-month lead time between grants opening and events being held, allowing councils and community groups to properly plan activities with young people.
The motions will be debated when councils from across Queensland gather at the LGAQ conference in Cairns from October 19 to 21.
Mayor Jos Mitchell and Acting Mayor Julie Talty will attend as Redland City Council’s official delegates.
