Senate Inquiry Calls For Written Submission by 26th April 2013 Celebrants can make a difference to these Bills supporting CoCA’s recommendations and submitting your views via electronic form submitted online or sent by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as an attached Adobe PDF or MS Word format document. (must include full postal address and contact details), or written submission posted – see below. Associations and individual celebrants wishing to make submissions are reminded to keep arguments unemotional, credible and give evidence, grammar and spell check, do NOT tick private and ensure points relate directly to matters raised in the Bills, Explanatory material…

Senate Inquiry Calls For Written Submission by 26th April 2013 Celebrants can make a difference to these Bills supporting CoCA’s recommendations and submitting your views via electronic form submitted online or sent by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as an attached Adobe PDF or MS Word format document. (must include full postal address and contact details), or written submission posted – see further details below. Associations and individual celebrants wishing to make submissions are reminded to keep arguments unemotional, credible and give evidence, grammar and spell check, do NOT tick private and ensure points relate directly to matters raised in the Bills,…

The Coalition of Celebrant Association Position. supports the Amendment to Australia Marriage Act 1961 Part IV Division 2 Sub-paragraph 42 to add an Australian passport as evident of the date and place of birth of the party seeking to marry as this removes discrimination against all Australian citizens, and especially as those persons born  overseas are able to use overseas passports supports the introduction of an Application Fee for the processing of all new marriage celebrants. opposes removal of 5 year reviews of life-time appointments opposes the introduction of a “Celebrant Registration Fee”  unless this applies to all marriage celebrants.…

Marriage Amendment (Celebrant Administration and Fees) Bill 2013 and the Marriage (Celebrant Registration Charge) Bill 2013 Marriage Amendment (Celebrant Administration and Fees) Bill and the Marriage (Celebrant Registration Charge) Bill have been referred to the Senate Standing Committee for Legal and Constitutional Affairs for consideration and report.  They are due to report by 18 June and submissions have been requested by 26 April.  Further information is available on the parliament house website: http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate_Committees?url=legcon_ctte/marriage_celebrants/index.htm Links on the Inquiry’s webpage Information about the Inquiry Information about the Bills: Marriage (Celebrant Registration Charge) Bill 2013 Marriage Amendment (Celebrant Administration and Fees) Bill 2013…

Marriage Amendment (Celebrant Administration and Fees) Bill 2013 No.    , 2013 (Attorney-General) A Bill for an Act to amend the Marriage Act 1961 in relation to celebrants, and for other purposes CELEBRANT-ADMINISTRATION-AND-FEES.pdf CELEBRANT-ADMINISTRATION-AND-FEES-Explanatory.pdf Main sections of changes proposed: Schedule 1—Amendments relating to fees and charges Part 1—Amendments relating to annual celebrant registration charge 1  Subsection 5(1) – Insert: celebrant registration charge: see subsection 39FA(1). 2  Subsection 5(1) – Insert: charge payment day: see subsection 39FA(2). 3  After section 39F – 39FA  Celebrant registration charge: liability to pay charge - 39FB  Celebrant registration charge: consequence of non‑payment Introduces annual registration charges to continue to be a Commonwealth registered…

The proposed “Registration Fee” is only to be applied to Subdivision  Commonwealth Marriage Celebrants. So all staff at State Registry offices, who conduct marriages and are on a salary (unlike Commonwealth Marriage Celebrants) will be exempted from this fee. Marriage Celebrants from these Recognised Religions will be exempted from the proposed Annual Registration Fee. <This legislation passed last March 2014>All persons who solemnise marriages in Australia must be authorised under the one Marriage Act.  Marriage celebrants are in three categories in the Marriage Act 1961 under: Division 1—Authorised celebrants -  Subdivision A—Ministers of religion and Division 1—Authorised celebrants -  Subdivision…

Explanatory Memorandum – Marriage Amendment (Celebrant Administration and Fees) Bill 2013 THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA - HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARRIAGE AMENDMENT (CELEBRANT ADMINISTRATION AND FEES) BILL 2013 EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM  (Circulated by authority of the Attorney-General, the Hon Mark Dreyfus QC, MP) MARRIAGE AMENDMENT (CELEBRANT ADMINISTRATION AND FEES) BILL 2013 GENERAL OUTLINE This Bill amends the Marriage Act 1961 to implement a 2011-12 Budget measure to introduce cost recovery for Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrants from 1 July 2013. It also makes minor amendments related to the administration of the Marriage Celebrants Program. In summary, these include: amendments to set…

IMPROVE EFFICIENCYLimit functions to core functions of Marriage Law as this applies to all Australians. Do minimal regulation as envisaged in the 2003 changes. ie 5  year reviews. Remove providing services not ecperienced nor knowledgeable to deliver. Require all Commonwealth Marriage Celebrants to belong to a Celebrant Association  (as is the case in other professions) for advice and support on the delivery of ceremony. Require all marriage celebrants contact the state Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages for legal advice about marriages.  Recommendation No 10 Require MLCS to establish an Online Expert Panel between BDMs, Celebrant Associations and MLCS to…

Argumentative points, as seen by CoCA, are: No evidence of the need for increased regulation and increased costs on celebrants will be passed onto 70% of the marrying public (undesirable, unfair, etc.) No guarantee they’ll improve marriage services (further regulation being counterproductive & undesirable) NOR, in themselves, ensure professional, knowledgeable & legally correct services. The Bills are discriminatory in that they are applied to Commonwealth registered celebrants and not to celebrants said to be, “regulated” by States & Territories (arguably these are not effectively regulated seeing they have little or no appointment criteria and no ongoing training) Deregistration (not on the…

Marriage (Celebrant Registration Charge) Bill 2013 & Marriage Amendment (Celebrant Administration and Fees) Bill 2013. Object of Acts Imposing ‘cost recovery’ charge, to fund administration, ignoring the responsibility for AGD to look at cost savings. We question the effectiveness of and need for, now and in the future,  the quality and range of ‘services delivered’ to celebrants. Cost savings to the Department and improvements to administration of the celebrant program could be brought about by reviewing current and expected MLCS staff levels.   Implementing the peak body (Coalition of Celebrant Associations) recommendations would bring about savings. For example savings through changes…