Marriage Celebrants Programme statistics

Download:   Statistics_for_Associations_-_as_at_1_May_2019.pdf

Statistics contained in the following tables are drawn from the MarCel database and are accurate as at 1 May 2019

unless otherwise indicated.

*The way of reporting the number of celebrants required to do OPD changed after 2013 to improve accuracy. Figures used for 2013 included celebrants who were deregistered during the year, who no longer had OPD obligations. Figures from 2014 include only celebrants who were registered at 31 December, and therefore still had an obligation to complete OPD.

**28 exemptions from OPD due to exception circumstances were granted in 2018.

Reasons for OPD Exemptions

The Registrar of Marriage Celebrants may grant an OPD exemption when:

• exceptional circumstances (eg due to illness or other personal reasons) means the celebrant is unable to complete OPD during the year, or
• a new celebrant’s registration falls late in the OPD year such that it is not feasible to complete OPD that year.

A celebrant will automatically be exempted from OPD in the first calendar year of their registration if they were awarded a Certificate IV in Celebrancy qualification within 12 months of their registration date.

Complaints

As at 1 May 2019, there were 5 complaints in progress. 1 complaint is on hold while under investigation of another agency.

Statutory complaints are those that meet the criteria set out in the Marriage Regulations 2017. This includes that the complaint must relate to the solemnisation of the marriage. From 1 July 2015, the department has regarded a complaint as being about the solemnisation of marriage where the matter complained of concerns a legal obligation or requirement contained in Division 2, Part IV of the Marriage Act 1961. Before 1 July 2015, any conduct occurring during the marriage ceremony was considered to relate to the solemnisation of marriage.

Non-statutory complaints are complaints about marriage celebrants that do not meet the criteria in the Marriage Regulations. From 1 July 2015, these include complaints about possible conflicts of interest or benefits to business.