CoCA recommends that the following 6 main principles be used by MLCS in the consideration of Conflict of Interest:

1. A professional is expected to be impartial in advice/ service giving. Thus a celebrant needs to be at arm’s length from any related activities.
2. The other activities of a professional can harm the public perception of the profession.
3. Free and informed consent to choose a celebrant must not be hampered by the actions of the celebrant’s other activities.
4. A celebrant’s other activities or roles must not impact on their ability to fully and competently prepare and deliver a marriage ceremony.
5. The benefit from another activity must never outweigh the benefit from the celebrant role (esp. financially), tempting the celebrant to take shortcuts or to act illegally.
6. A professional is expected to have some motive involved in their work, beyond their
   own personal needs celebrant.

CoCA considers that ensuring stricter Conflict of Interest Guidelines would increase professionalism and decrease the number of people entering celebrancy, who assume they can combine a function in an industry related to weddings with being a marriage. Please refer to Appendix 5  for further information.

Cost Recovery

If clearer and stricter guidelines were available and implemented, then the time spent by the MLCS in answering enquiries, appointing celebrants and monitoring their compliance and dealing with complaints would be minimized. Thus cost recovery expenses would impact less on celebrants and marrying couples.

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