An advocate for the plight of missing people has backed a Liberals pledge for a dedicated unit to help families cut through bureaucratic red tape after their loss.
Missing Persons Advocacy Network founder Loren O'Keeffe, whose brother Dan went missing seven years ago, said families needed to be able to close the accounts of their loved ones, once they were gone.
"Ambiguous loss is considered to be the most stressful type of grief and the last thing families in that position need is the bureaucratic nightmare that goes along with having a loved one's bills and registration be ongoing," she told reporters on Monday.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy pledged $1.2 million over four years for a three-member full-time team to manage a missing person's financial affairs and support their families.
"Government has to have a heart in Victoria when it comes to the families and friends who are missing. Simply leaving it to the courts to resolve for years, and years, and years at huge cost is not fair," Mr Guy told reporters on Monday.
"There is nothing more traumatic for a family than dealing with the heartache of not knowing what has happened to their family member and then dealing with the headache of financial and legal woes that have been left behind. This unit will help solve those issues."
The unit would provide practical assistance to people with missing loved ones including referrals, contact with service providers, information about missing persons' issues and community education.
A similar unit has already been set up in NSW since 2000 and has helped more than 400 families.
Ms O'Keeffe said about 9000 Victorians went missing every year.
Her brother was found dead in 2016, five years after he went missing.
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