Marriage equality

Attachment 5
 
The Coalition of Celebrant Associations (CoCA) is the peak professional celebrant advisory body  recognised by the Attorney-General’s Department by a Joint Protocol with CoCA (Agreed: 10 December 2010, and confirmed by later exchange of e-mails. Amended: 25 September 2014.)

Reference: http://www.coalitionofcelebrantassociations.org.au/about-coca/31-about-the-company/220-protocol-between-coca-and-attorney-general-s-department
 
The following sections of the protocol explains CoCA’s role in relation to the Attorney-General’s Department – in particular that CoCA “will work to represent the views of those marriage celebrants who are members of celebrant associations, as well as those who are not”. (point 2 below) 

Background to the Protocol

  1. With the support of the Attorney-General, the Coalition of Celebrant Associations (CoCA) was established on 16 October 2008 as the peak representative body for Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrants.

  2.  CoCA’s primary aim is to engage effectively with the Attorney-General and the Attorney-General’s Department (AGD) to represent the marriage celebrant community on matters relating to the Marriage Celebrants Program (the Program). In doing so, CoCA will work to ensure that it represents the views of those marriage celebrants who are members of celebrant associations, as well as those who are not.

  3. The relevant area of AGD is the Marriage Celebrants Section, Marriage and Intercountry Adoption Branch, Access to Justice Division.

    Purpose of the Protocol

  4. CoCA and AGD wish to form a productive and collaborative relationship, characterised by constructive and, wherever possible, open communication. To facilitate this relationship, this Protocol has been developed to ensure a clear understanding of how CoCA and AGD will work together, communicate with each other and clarify expectations as to roles.

  5. While this Protocol is limited to CoCA and AGD, it is acknowledged that the Attorney-General is the final decision-maker in matters relating to the Program and therefore plays an important role in seeking and considering CoCA’s feedback or concerns.

  6. AGD acknowledges that CoCA members provide their valuable time and input on a voluntary basis. CoCA members meet their own expenses for travel and accommodation, noting that CoCA hopes that AGD will be able to make funding available in the future.

  7. CoCA acknowledges that as an Australian Government department, AGD must prioritise the needs of the Attorney-General and AGD’s statutory obligations under the Marriage Act 1961 and Marriage Regulations 1963.

The Coalition of Celebrants Associations (CoCA) Inc. – 10 years Goals 
http://www.coalitionofcelebrantassociations.org.au/about-coca/31-about-the-company/236-2025-goals
 
The Marriage Act 1961 

  1. The Marriage Act is reviewed and revised, on a periodic basis, to ensure the basic requirements for legal marriage are present in every wedding ceremony whether the ceremony is a religious or a civil one. 

  2. The Marriage Vows for all marriage couples to be in plain English and modernised from the 1836 version upon which they were based to ensure the parties to the marriage state clearly "― I, A (or B.), take you, B (or A ), to be my wife (or husband or spouse) or words to that effect.

  3. The Marriage Act ensure that all marriage celebrants, whether registered or religious, are treated equally with respect to the regulation of their duties in performing the valid marriage component of the wedding ceremony, whether the ceremony uses the rites of a specific religious group or a Civil ceremony of the couples choice
 
Celebrant Education and Continuing Professional Development

  1. Improved professional training and continued education for all independent registered celebrants as outlined in the Explanatory Memorandum for the 2002 changes to the Marriage Act 1961.

  2. Professional celebrant associations covering independent Subdivision C celebrants having the ability to determine the Continued Education Programs for their own members as is the case for Subdivision A and C celebrants, and other professions.

  3. Professional certification standards for Independent registered celebrants to be established and used as one of the criteria for appointment as a Commonwealth Marriage Celebrant, and available as continuing education as is the case in other professions.
 
Cost Recovery for Marriage Celebrants 

  1. Commonwealth marriage celebrant’s annual fees for regulation to be used transparently, effectively, and efficiently and not greater than that able to be delivered by a non-government agency, and evidenced by the fees remaining the same annual level (CPI adjusted) or decreased.

  2. The expertise of marriage celebrant practitioners to be effectively used to ensure that the Attorney-General's department marriage celebrant services are relevant and necessary for the delivery of marriage services to the Australia public by the registered and religious  celebrant professionals.

  3. The State and Territory Registry Offices to ensure that registration of all births, deaths and marriages continue to be their primary role, and the free data-entry services provided by marriage celebrants of Recognised Religions (Subdivision A) and Independent marriage celebrants (Subdivision C) are adequately and effectively supported in return by the Registries. 
 
Child & Forced Marriage 

  1. Every marriage ceremony to include consent by the parties to the marriage in front of an authorised celebrant, whether the celebrant is religious or not.

  2. Every marriage celebrant to make clear to the parties to the marriage, witnesses and all the guests that a marriage according to Marriage law is being conducted and that they are the celebrant authorised by law to witness and register the marriage.

  3. Every marriage ceremony to include a definition of marriage according to law.

  4. If the definition of marriage is changed to include same sex couples, that the new definition be, "marriage means the union of two adults to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life."

  5. Improved education on marriage in Australia by coordination of the efforts all the relevant government departments and community agencies directly involved in delivering marriage services.

Based upon CoCA Constitution Objects that are:

Constitution: (ii) Objects of the Association 

1. To raise the standard of the quality of registered marriage and other ceremonies offered to the Australian community by celebrants, especially those appointed under the Marriage Act 1961.

2. To advise the Federal Government on:
  1. the training, implementation, maintenance and review of the Marriage Act, Regulations and Marriage Celebrant Program, and other appropriate legislation

  2. the strategies for raising and reviewing standards of services offered by celebrants

  3. the needs and concerns of registered celebrants and others appointed under the Marriage Act 1961

  4. related issues that affect registered celebrants.
(3) To facilitate, develop and review a national co-operative and co-ordinated approach to professional development of celebrants via the services offered by member celebrant associations.

(4) To facilitate, develop and review national guidelines for public information and education of services offered by celebrants to create consistency of information from member associations in their public interface with the Australian community.

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