Three Youpla funeral fund directors banned and fined after firm collapses

A federal court judgment ordered three former directors of Youpla Group, previously known as the Aboriginal Community Benefit Fund, to pay a combined $90,000 and banned them from managing corporations for between five and 10 years. Justice Geoffrey Kennett found the directors failed to act with the expected degree of care and diligence, neglected to manage conflicts of interest, and caused detriment to fund members. The company had marketed funeral policies to Indigenous families across Australia for decades before collapsing in March 2022. The collapse left more than 13,000 Aboriginal people without the means to pay for funerals, forcing families to resort to crowdfunding or leave bodies in morgues.