Youpla funeral fund collapse leaves 31 Aboriginal families struggling to pay for burials

Deborah Sebastian, a Nyul Nyul elder with end-stage kidney disease who had paid into the Youpla fund for years, is concerned about how she will pay for her own funeral. Photograph: Veronica Johnson

At least 31 Aboriginal families are struggling to pay for funerals for loved ones who have died since the collapse of the funeral business ACBF-Youpla, amid claims that people are collecting aluminium cans to raise money for burials.

Veronica Johnson, a financial counsellor with the Broome Circle community support group, says three of her clients have been left desperately out of pocket since the Youpla collapse in March.