TOPIC: Cost Recovery needs Better Trained Independent Celebrants

Independent celebrants reside in every electorate across Australia and many are asked by their communities to perform namings, anniversaries, birthdays, funerals, memorials and other community ceremonies in addition to marriage ceremonies.

Would you want a "trainee" celebrant to perform your son's marriage or mother's funeral?

Our industry is unique in that independent celebrants

• are private practitioners who bear the full responsibility for the quality of their work
• provide services that are "one-off" and thus must be personalised and high quality every time
  

thus requiring the new celebrant to be fully competent on graduation and not left to trial and error on-the-job training.

TOPIC: Training for independent celebrants - to encompass ‘all life ceremonies’

Better-trained celebrants will result in more efficient and cost effective use of the $2.4 million Cost Recovery dollars imposed directly on Commonwealth marriage celebrants and indirectly upon their couples. 

CoCA representatives are recommending the increased quality and depth of the Diploma in Celebrancy as the industry benchmark to the Attorney-General.

Vocational Education & Training (VET) 'streamlining" project has highlighted

• the need for in-depth training of civil marriage celebrants who perform over 75% of all marriages in Australia
• ceremonies are changing and need to reflect the diverse cultural needs of our society
• the need for training for all marriage celebrants to address child and forced marriage law issues
• The need for celebrants to expand their expertise, thus equipping them to perform ceremonies from birth to death

CoCA association representatives have spent many thousands of volunteer hours drafting materials to improve our industry training and to ensure

• celebrant training meets current and future needs of Australians
• the depth and quality of independent celebrant training prepares new independent celebrants for viable work
• the Attorney-General's Department has the support of experienced marriage celebrant practitioners to advise on the practical application of the units required for those seeking registration as a Subdivision C marriage celebrant (independent civil and religious).

These marriage law training units are available nationally, through face to face or online delivery and are affordable.

What can Government do to support quality training?

Ministers and Senators can

• support the CoCA representatives' recommendations for the Diploma in Celebrancy as the industry benchmark for independent celebrants
  
  
• ensure Cost Recovery dollars are used to support better start-up training to minimise ongoing regulation costs on private practitioners
  
  
• ensure Government does not interfere in the qualifications and training standards beyond those aspects required by legislation.

Read more about CoCA's training proposals . . .

February 2015