The Federal Government has opened a funeral expenses grants program for First Nations policyholders hit by the Youpla collapse and is continuing to consider additional assistance.

“The program has been developed in consultation with consumer advocates and First Nations representatives to ensure it meets the needs of families who have been impacted by the collapse of the Youpla Group,” Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones and Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney said.

“These are interim arrangements the Government is establishing while it investigates what further steps are required to bring resolution in relation to the Youpla Group collapse.”

Grant applications opened last Wednesday and will be accepted until November 30 next year. The payments are in place of a funeral benefit that would otherwise have been made, and are available to eligible beneficiaries who had an active policy on or after April 1 this year.

The Save Sorry Business Coalition says the grants are an important first step, with the Government estimating around 500 families may be eligible for the assistance. But the group says some 30,000 people who have been affected.

“The Save Sorry Business Coalition and many other First Nations advocates continue our deep conversations with Ministers Linda Burney and Stephen Jones to achieve an enduring resolution for the families and communities harmed,” Financial Counselling Australia Financial Capability Coordinator Lynda Edwards, a Wangkumara/Barkandji woman, said.

“No one should be left behind.”

Youpla, formerly known as the Aboriginal Community Benefit Fund (ACBF), was under scrutiny for years over high-pressure sales tactics and misleading and deceptive practices used to sell low quality funeral plans to Indigenous communities. ACBF companies were placed into liquidation in March this year.