CoCA Constitution

Coalition of Celebrant Associations (CoCA) Inc Constitution Extracts

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Preamble

(i) Guiding Principles

1. CoCA is a coalition of celebrant associations, not individual celebrants.

    

2. All celebrant associations, whether new or longstanding, state or nationally focused, or special interest focused, large or small, bring a valuable contribution to a national forum on celebrancy issues through their knowledge, expertise, experience and understanding of celebrancy issues as applied to their area of concern and influence. Also, they represent segments of the Australian community serviced by civil celebrants, thus the importance of their inclusion.

    

3. In a coalition of celebrant associations, each celebrant association and its respresentative, irrespective of the size of the association, is treated with equal respect, acknowledging the value of minority opinion in a democratic society and in developing comprehensive quality approaches to celebrancy issues.

    

4. Wherever possible, democratic parliamentary principles of decision making and implementation will be the primary mode of operation of CoCA such that:
   
   (a) all sub-committees and office bearers are responsible to CoCA for the setting of their roles, responsibilities and the review of the services they perform on behalf of CoCA.
   
   (b) rotation of office bearers will be a structural part of CoCA’s mode of operation, ie, terms for office bearers and other positions of responsibility of COCA members may be limited as agreed by financial member delegates.
   
   (c) funding of CoCA activities to be organized to enable all CoCA representatives to participate fully in their role within CoCA.
   
   (d) CoCA's operations will be transparent and accountable to all celebrants and their associations. Exceptions to be an agreed 75% majority and time- limited, ie, freedom of speech and freedom of information principles to apply
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5. As a national organization CoCA will use electronic, web-based and other methods on communication, organization, administration, implementation and review of its activities as its primary mode of operation, and will structure face to face meetings from time to time for the maximum involvement of all CoCA members.

    

6. Given the evolving role of civil celebrants in contemporary Australian society. The aim of CoCA is to recommend a range of strategies to its member associations and to the government to improve the quality of ceremonies offered by celebrants to the Australian community.

    

(ii) Objects of the Association

1. To raise the standard of the quality of civil 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: (a) the training, implementation, maintenance and review of the Marriage Act, Regulations and Marriage Celebrant Program, and other appropriate legislation, (b) the strategies for raising and reviewing standards of services offered by celebrants, (c) the needs and concerns of civil celebrants and others appointed under the Marriage Act 1961, (d) related issues that affect civil 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.