About Us
Established in 2005, the Professional Celebrants Association Inc represents all areas of celebrancy. The association is a self-regulated professional body which sets standards for best-practice and fosters professionalism in celebrancy.
The association supports and fosters diversity within celebrancy, and treats all celebrants equally. Members are required to continually update their skills through ongoing professional development, and are encouraged to work together to achieve more for the profession. The association motto is:
Concordia res parvae crescent (Work together to accomplish more).
The Announcement 
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Objects of the Association
The objects of the Professional Celebrants Association Inc. are to:
- Promote celebrancy as a profession
- Be an umbrella association for professional celebrants who are involved in a wide range of celebrancy practice
- Foster high ethical standards in celebrancy practice
- Provide opportunities for continuous improvement in celebrancy knowledge and skills
- Accredit celebrants who undertake celebrancy-specific training and education
- Advocate for the celebrancy profession to Government, industry and the general public
Contact the Professional Celebrants Association Inc
For general enquiries regarding the association:
email: pca@professionalcelebrants.asn.au
For membership and association matters:
telephone: 07 3392 2561
email: secretary@professionalcelebrants.asn.au
Management Committee Leadership
 President
Kerry T W Gorman |
 Secretary
Ashley Bergh |
 Treasurer
Guy Piper |
Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct
Celebrants who join the PCA are expected to support and uphold the association's Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct. The association developed this detailed and stringent code to ensure that PCA members strive to uphold high standards of professional and ethical conduct and support the ideals of the celebrancy profession. The code encourages public confidence in PCA members, who are responsible for providing a high standard of service that incorporates both safe and competent practice, with due care and concern for their clients, the public, and the law, where applicable.
Breaches of the Code
The PCA takes seriously any breach of the Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct, no matter how minor. Breaches of the Code call into question the professional and ethical practices of the celebrant/s concerned. The PCA has a defined disciplinary process for dealing with reports of alleged breaches of professional and ethical conduct (for further information, see the Secretary).
The PCA requires members to ensure that they do not maintain a conflict of interest in either their professional or ethical practices.
Civil marriage celebrancy is regulated by specific guidelines relating to conflict of interest, as determined by law. Section 39G(c)(ii) of the Marriage Act 1961 requires individuals to notify the Registrar of Marriage Celebrants, in writing, within 30 days of the occurrence of an event that might have caused the registrar not to register the individual as a marriage celebrant if the event had occurred before the individual were registered. Such an event might include the development of a conflict of interest between the celebrant’s responsibilities as a marriage celebrant and any other business or other interests held by the celebrant. A relevant event might also include entry into, or continuation in, a business in which the role of marriage celebrant may result in the celebrant gaining a benefit in respect of that other business owned, controlled or carried out by the celebrant. The Registrar has the right to take disciplinary action against authorised celebrants who are deemed to be involved in something that constitutes a conflict of interest.
As general celebrancy is not regulated in any way by State or Federal law, there are no specific guidelines regulating what is a conflict of interest in relation to members practicing as General Celebrants. However, the PCA takes the view that the principle of avoiding undue influence and/or unfair advantage, or the perception of undue influence and/or unfair advantage, which are the regulations applying to Civil Marriage Celebrants, should be recognised and adhered to in their practice of General Celebrancy by its members.
Complaints
All PCA members are encouraged to have well-developed procedures in place for evaluation of, and continuous improvement in their celebrancy services. A client has a right to make a formal complaint to the association against a PCA member where the client believes that they have not received good service from that member. A client should talk or write directly to the celebrant as the first step in the complaints process. Where the client is not satisfied with this outcome, they may forward a written complaint to:
The Secretary
The Professional Celebrants Association Inc
P O Box 1444
COORPAROO QLD 4151
Where complaints relate to a marriage ceremony, there is an existing formal complaints process managed by the Attorney-General's Department, which authorises and oversees civil marriage celebrants. The complaint must be made within three months of the event occurring, and is to be made in writing to the Registrar of Marriage Celebrants and signed by the complainant (no anonymous complaints will be investigated or acted upon).
PCA Certification Program
Whilst marriage celebrants are required to complete a mandatory 5 hours per year of approved professional development activities, PCA encourages members to make a commitment to continuous improvement over and above this requirement. It is through continuous improvement that celebrants can continue to develop their skills and knowledge, thus ensuring a higher quality of service than those celebrants who do not.
Since its inception in 2005, PCA has embraced the continuing professional development (CPD) philosophy and has a special program that rewards continuous improvement by certifying those members who meet specific CPD objectives over a three-year period as determined by the PCA.
The PCA Certification Program is a points-based system which recognises members who enhance demonstrate ongoing commitment to professional development by enhancing their technical knowledge, skills and competencies relevant to celebrancy.
This structured approach:
- recognises the wide range of informal learning and development opportunities available
- provides a framework for identifying and planning further acquisition of skills and knowledge
- uses a points-based system that guarantees a measurable commitment to continuous improvement
- assures clients that individual members who fulfil the criteria for certification are committed to maintaining professional standards, and
- can be easily understood and implemented.