 White Paper PART A.
Effect of Uncontrolled or Ineffectively Controlled Deregulation on Australia’s Marriage Celebrant Program since the 2003 Changes/Reforms to the Program
Prepared by Tony Gelme
President Coalition of Celebrant Associations CoCA
Headings:
PART A - April Issue
1. Background
2. The 2003 Changes to the Marriage Celebrant Program
3. Effect of the 2003 Changes on the Marrying Public
PART B - July Issue.
4. Marriage Celebrant Training
5. Perspective from a Marriage Celebrant’s Viewpoint
6. Uncontrolled or Ineffectively Controlled Deregulation of the Marriage Celebrant Program
7. The cost to the Australian Taxpayer of this increasingly expensive Government program
8. Some Considerations in Addressing these Problems
1. Background
Australia’s marriage celebrant program commenced in 1973 when the then Attorney-General, Lionel Murphy, appointed the first civil marriage celebrants.
From the inception of the program numbers of marriage celebrants appointed were strictly on a ‘needs basis’. That is, the numbers of celebrants appointed were only sufficient to meet the needs of the marrying public. Lionel Murphy in an interview on one occasion said – there should never be so many marriage celebrants that they cannot achieve the expertise and knowledge they and their clients require.
Numbers of marrying couples electing to use the services of civil marriage celebrants increased progressively through 10% in early years to around 66% of the marrying public in 2009. Clearly, the option for an alternative to religious services and Registry Offices was welcomed along with the freedom available for couples to choose where, when and how they wished to have their wedding ceremony.
Australia’s annual number of marriages has not changed dramatically over the years. In 1989 there were 117,176 marriages, in 2008 118,756 – heralded by the media as a twenty year high! In reality a marginal increase.
In keeping with the progressive increase in popularity of civil marriage celebrants, successive Australian governments also gradually increased numbers of celebrants to meet the needs of marrying couples.
However, the Government in 2003 introduced, what has turned out to be, catastrophic changes to the marriage celebrant program. At that time there were around 1500-2000 ‘needs based’ appointed civil marriage celebrants, quite sufficient for the needs of the marrying public.
This allowed an average of around 30 weddings per celebrant per annum. Some conducted more, some less and many were able to sustain a full time occupation, while others provided a significant part time service.
2. The 2003 Changes to the Marriage Celebrant Program
Following contact with civil marriage celebrants, marriage celebrant associations and other stakeholders, the government of the day introduced significant changes termed ‘reforms’.
Contrary to advice provided by celebrants and celebrant associations, the changes/reforms introduced:
- Unlimited appointments to civil marriage celebrancy (changing the needs basis from the needs of the marrying public to one based on the desires, or needs, of anybody wishing to be a celebrant),
- Mandatory training prior to appointment as a marriage celebrant (celebrants welcomed the training as they had long been asking for a training/orientation program for new appointees),
- The appointment of a Registrar of Celebrants and the creation of a Marriage Celebrant Section within the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department, giving the Registrar responsibility for all facets of the marriage celebrant program, with the exception of new celebrant training which was given to National and State training authorities.
The appointment process did not change markedly with the introduction of the changes/reforms. One exception was applicants now had to provide evidence of satisfactory completion of the newly required training – a system of ‘competency based’ training resulting in a Statement of Attainment given by the training body to trainees assessed as ‘competent’.
The Attorney-General’s Department also required a satisfactory assessment under its Fit and Proper Person Criteria.
These hopefully ‘reasonable’ changes introduced a number of unfortunate effects.
- As numbers of civil marriage celebrants gradually increased it had a devastating effect on the existing activities of longer term ‘needs based’ marriage celebrants. Those celebrants, many previously occupied full time with a sufficient number of marriage ceremonies each year, found numbers fall as newer celebrants, often only conducting wedding ceremonies for family and friends, depleted the number of marriages available to other celebrants.
- Newly appointed marriage celebrants, many believing there was a substantial need for their services and potential for a new ‘career’, found few wedding ceremonies available to them.
- Marriage celebrant training was set up by TAFE and other colleges and by newly established entrepreneurial operators. It being a new area, many were feeling their way, in the training of celebrants. Some made good use of already highly skilled marriage celebrants as trainers, while others used people, who had never been marriage celebrants, but held a training qualification (Certificate IV in Assessment & Workplace Training) and, as time went by, also employed newly appointed marriage celebrants with little or no experience as trainers.
Difficulties, arising from these actions, have had serious effects in several vital areas:
- The effect on the marrying public – couples experience confusion in selecting a civil marriage celebrant suitable for their needs. Some celebrants, new and old, have been found to be excellent. However, what seems to be an even greater number, are far from satisfactory - lacking experience, knowledge and ability.
- The effect on longer term and newly appointed marriage celebrants in finding there is insufficient need for their services and, in the case of many newer celebrants, finding their initial training (2003 – 2010 training regime) to have been totally inadequate. On current figures the average number of weddings per celebrant per year is now somewhere in the range of 4 to 6 and, with ongoing unlimited appointments, will only become more ridiculous.
- A lack of effective assessment and selection processes to identify people suitable for appointment as marriage celebrants (the Fit and Proper Person Criteria of the Attorney-General’s Department does not require any interview process, but simply relies on written applications, referees provided by the applicant, a ‘commitment to the institution of marriage’ and evidence of satisfactory completion of required training).
- Little or no effective control of training entrepreneurs resulted in - established educational institutions charging an appropriate fee for adequate training by experienced trainers – competing with opportunistic training institutions charging very low fees for minimal training by unqualified and/or inexperienced trainers.
It is necessary to look at the Government’s various justifications for these massive changes to Australia’s previously highly regarded marriage celebrant program. In theory, they sound good.
- Marriage celebrants, appointed by the government, should not have an unfair advantage or protection to their business operations that other business operators in other occupations do not also enjoy.
- Opening marriage celebrancy to additional operators could add many highly talented people who would make excellent marriage celebrants and help to raise standards.
- An open market provides wider choice for couples and opportunities for competition and benefits to the public as a result of that competition.
- In other occupations and professions the best survive and the least able do not.
- With the introduction of mandatory training standards will rise and again the marrying public will benefit.
- Separate comments from public servants in the Attorney-General’s Department included:
- we are actually doing celebrancy and the country a great favour in that we are increasing the number of non-religious Celebrants.
- the market will soon sort out the good ones from the bad.
- Celebrants argue from a point of view of Marriage Celebrancy! We (government) know there will be an increase in the number of other ceremonies that will be done by all these new non-religious celebrants. We are essentially providing an increase in the number of Celebrants who will make new celebrant businesses extending outward from Marriages.
In reality the unexpected effects of the changes has proven quite different and quite devastating. The truth of the matter is the wedding industry, while apparently robust in annual turnover (of which marriage celebrants receive very little), is actually based on a relatively small number of marriages in Australia. It is a tiny market.
3. Effect of the 2003 Changes on the Marrying Public
Marrying is not something people do often (the Government has affirmed its view in the words of the Marriage Act Sec 46 “Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.”).
So on this special, often only, occasion, many of the approx 66% of couples (who choose celebrant weddings), have little or no experience upon which to draw, in their selection of their marriage celebrant. As a result they often rely on advertised services, and a large degree of trust, that any and every person offering their services as a marriage celebrant is fully qualified, informed and able to provide a high level of service. They also rely on advice and referrals from friends, family and other wedding services with the same expectations.
Mounting anecdotal evidence indicates the marrying public are increasingly suffering poor service, misinformation, lack of ability and increasing disappointment with marriage celebrant services. An effect of massive oversupply of marriage celebrants is that fewer and fewer marriage celebrants can give more than a part time attention to these responsibilities.
An economic necessity is celebrants need to earn sufficient income to cover costs and to maintain themselves and their families and marriage celebrancy now cannot do that for any significant number of them. As a result more and more long term celebrants and most newer appointees are, or have become, part time marriage celebrants with other, sometimes more important (to them) responsibilities in their lives.
As evidence of this are reports of:
- some couples being told at the last minute by their celebrant they won’t be able to attend at their wedding as something more important has come up!
- other disappointing reports of celebrants inability to provide a high level or proper service include – not solemnizing a wedding because of stage fright,
- advising a couple incorrectly they had to be in Australia to lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage, for their planned Australian wedding, involving the couple in huge expenditure to travel from Europe when they could just as easily done it from overseas,
- celebrants taking bookings for weddings they find (or know) they cannot do and passing them on to other new celebrants while keeping deposits paid - and reports of problems continue.
- 5Reports of wedding documents not being sent to Registry Offices for registration of marriages, or being sent late and/or being incomplete and incorrect.
Another effect of the government’s desired greater competition is prices quoted by celebrants are becoming cheaper and cheaper with the emphasis being on price and little or no concern for ability and service. Prices, now being quoted around Australia, indicate many celebrants are offering prices well below cost to provide the service – a couple of celebrants even provide weddings free of charge to couples!
They subsidise the couples’ celebrant cost out of their separate income for people they do not even know! In this now over-serviced tiny market the emphasis on price, rather than quality, highlights the desperation of celebrants to achieve any bookings at all.
How does this affect marrying couples? Too many, having secured the lowest price - and being unaware of important areas of quality, experience, knowledge, value, ability and service – find too late, their important event becomes not a wedding to fondly remember, but one they would rather forget!
PART B - July Issue.
4. Marriage Celebrant Training
5. Perspective from a Marriage Celebrant’s Viewpoint
6. Uncontrolled or Ineffectively Controlled Deregulation of the Marriage Celebrant Program
7. The cost to the Australian Taxpayer of this increasingly expensive Government program
8. Some Considerations in Addressing these Problems
ACCN thanks Tony for the permission to publish this paper in the interests of all celebrants being aware of the issues under discussion by CoCA
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