Conflict Of Interest And Benefit To Business Strong support from our members has been forthcoming for the more strict adherence to section 49 of the Marriage Act 1961, rather than removing all restrictions on Conflict of Interest (COI) and Benefit to Business (B2B). In recent years, celebrants have tried to become more professional, and we think this has been misinterpreted, as being more businesslike. Included are the following comments from members, which when appearing on our Association forum received an avalanche of support; “ We need to be a profession that is not influenced by outside pressure as stated in, and that we presented to, the Attorney Generals Department, in our application to become a Marriage Celebrant from our referees, as in; a person without criminal conviction, with high moral values and who is a worthwhile member of the community.” “Huge companies, hotels and venues will take control of our profession, as they have done with the funeral industry” “Once we enter into extreme commercialisation of weddings, we will lose our professional stance in the community” Our Association members strongly believe that the only benefit to removing COI and B2B, would be to the MLCS, as they will not have to deal with complaints about celebrants overstepping the mark. Consumers will not benefit because costs will rise as soon as the monopoly get a handle on it. Immediately, clients might appreciate a “one stop shop” but will soon find that the celebrant cannot possibly offer what big hotels can. The cost will be high to couples and to the professional reputation of celebrants generally. We are aware that section 49 has been more liberally governed recently, due to ATT challenges being upheld, and with the interpretation of staff as they have changed within the dept. This has caused confusion to celebrants and to the public alike. We support the Coalition of Celebrant Associations’ (CoCA) Submission, and urge not only the continuation, but the more strict enforcement of Conflict of Interest and Benefit to Business provisions.
Conflict Of Interest And Benefit To Business Strong support from our members has been forthcoming for the more strict adherence to section 49 of the Marriage Act 1961, rather than removing all restrictions on Conflict of Interest (COI) and Benefit to Business (B2B). In recent years, celebrants have tried to become more professional, and we think this has been misinterpreted, as being more businesslike. Included are the following comments from members, which when appearing on our Association forum received an avalanche of support; “ We need to be a profession that is not influenced by outside pressure as stated in, and that we presented to, the Attorney Generals Department, in our application to become a Marriage Celebrant from our referees, as in; a person without criminal conviction, with high moral values and who is a worthwhile member of the community.” “Huge companies, hotels and venues will take control of our profession, as they have done with the funeral industry” “Once we enter into extreme commercialisation of weddings, we will lose our professional stance in the community” Our Association members strongly believe that the only benefit to removing COI and B2B, would be to the MLCS, as they will not have to deal with complaints about celebrants overstepping the mark. Consumers will not benefit because costs will rise as soon as the monopoly get a handle on it. Immediately, clients might appreciate a “one stop shop” but will soon find that the celebrant cannot possibly offer what big hotels can. The cost will be high to couples and to the professional reputation of celebrants generally. We are aware that section 49 has been more liberally governed recently, due to ATT challenges being upheld, and with the interpretation of staff as they have changed within the dept. This has caused confusion to celebrants and to the public alike. We support the Coalition of Celebrant Associations’ (CoCA) Submission, and urge not only the continuation, but the more strict enforcement of Conflict of Interest and Benefit to Business provisions.