Commonwealth Celebrant Registers

Sometimes people ask for evidence that their celebrant is authorised to conduct marriages. Requests for this have increased since the recent conviction of a man in Victoria  (and associated bad publicity) who conducted several weddings without being authorised by the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department. 

As we are not issued with certificates or cards indicating we are authorised, the only definitive way to ensure your chosen celebrant is authorised by the Commonwealth to conduct marriages is to check if their name is on one of several registers maintained by the Commonwealth Attorney General's Department.  There are separate registers for civil celebrants, religious celebrants, ministers of religion from recognised denominations, and state and territory officers authorised to perform marriages in those jurisdictions. Each of these categories are very different, hence the separate registers.

For civil celebrants like myself, the register we are listed on is called the  "Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrants".  You can find this register at: https://marriage.ag.gov.au/commonwealthcelebrants/all.

To find me, just type my surname - Bonthuys - into the search box and press enter. I am the only celebrant in Australia with this surname, and my record shows up immediately as the only record. It's been a bonus to have a unique surname, thanks to my lovely South African husband!​

​

To find someone, you can search their surname by state or territory in the search box, but the results will bring up every record with that name as a name, a place or suburb. You can also conduct an advanced search allowing more identifying information to be entered as search criteria (helpful if you're hunting for someone with a common surname). 

The celebrant's record is shown in a table with two boxes. On the left, it shows "Registered" in green under the celebrant's name, and below that, their date of authorisation. For me, that auspicious date was 2 September 2004. It also says "Active". Every July, celebrants pay a fee to the Commonwealth to remain authorised (and stay "active") to conduct marriages. 

​In the right box, it shows you the contact details for the celebrant. Some people have elected to have limited information available in that box - it is up to the individual celebrant to determine what is listed there.

This register (and the others maintained by the Commonwealth Attorney-General)  is literally the only definitive way to check that your celebrant is authorised to conduct marriages in Australia.

It's highly recommended that you check the register before engaging your celebrant, to satisfy yourself that you're dealing with someone who is authorised to conduct your wedding - and ensure you won't be caught out like the unsuspecting victims of the man masquerading as an authorised celebrant who was  recently convicted in Victoria. 

---