Angela Finn | Sydney

How love feels

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August 4, 2020

Take a ride on the other side

“Hurry up, get your Opal card out, the train is coming”, I yelled at Mum as we hurried down the steps at Panania station.

Mum cried “I think I left my Opal card at home. But don’t worry Ange, just get on. I’ll buy a ticket when we get to Campbelltown and change trains”, she said.

“Bloody hell Mum, you are so blasé. You might get fined”, I said as we boarded the train.

Mum at 84 years old, was a seasoned train traveller. She was cocky too.

We sat upstairs in the carriage and got settled for the ride. We were on our way to Picton to visit my sister and her two sons. Mum was excited about seeing her grandkids.

At Glenfield station, I noticed four NSW Police Officers board the train. Next thing I knew, a police officer was standing next to Mum and I asking us to produce our Opal cards for checking.

Ha! Let’s see if Mum is so cool now, I thought.

Mum – ever so confidently – apologized and explained what had happened, and ensured the Officer that she would get a ticket when she changed trains.

The Officer smiled at Mum, gave her a warning. No fine.

Mum turned to me and raised her eyebrows as if to say “See, I told you it would be alright”.

I replied, “Just because you’re a sweet, little old lady doesn’t mean you are above the law. You’re lucky…this time”.

A few minutes later, Mum and I heard the raised voice of the Police Officer. He was questioning a couple about their Opal card, personal identity, concession cards, and whereabouts.

I was shocked. I said to Mum “Can you believe the way the Officer is speaking to this couple? It’s horrific. His loud voice and questions are so humiliating. I feel so embarrassed for the couple”.

The man under question acted calmly. His voice was low, but I heard him say to the Officer that he and his wife were from the North Coast and had come to Sydney to see their granddaughter perform in a dancing concert.

It was then that I noticed that the couple were Indigenous Australians.

My heart sank. I was witnessing explicit racism. My mother had received different treatment for breaking the law.

I couldn’t hear or make out the offence committed. But I heard the Police Officer tell the couple they would need to get off the train at Campbelltown and go to the nearest Centrelink office to sort out their concession cards.

When the couple said they did not know where the Centrelink office was located, the Police Officer replied that he would escort them.

I felt sick in the stomach. I remained silent.

When the train pulled into Campbelltown station, the Police officers, the couple, plus Mum and I alighted. I told Mum to wait as I hurried to catch up to the Police Officer.

I asked him – politely – why this couple were questioned so thoroughly and loudly for all to hear and were forced to get off the train.

He replied – calmly and with authority – that he was simply following the law and had done nothing wrong.

I was chicken. I did not question him as to why the law was applied differently to my Mum. Why she did not suffer the same humiliation as those grandparents.

I knew the answer. For 232 years, our society and culture have condoned racism against Indigenous Australians.

And…Mum and I have benefitted from those laws, systems, attitudes, and behaviours.

And so too Mum’s grandchildren. They have not suffered intergenerational trauma, systemic removal, and discrimination. Nor are they at risk of higher levels of incarceration, depression, and suicide.

That was four years ago. I continue to learn about Indigenous Australians and our history.  I still know very little.

Today is National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day – established in 1988 – to celebrate and empower children. The 4th of August was chosen because during 1910 – 1970 when Indigenous Australian children were forcibly removed from their families and put into institutionalized care, their birthdays – many unknown – were given and celebrated on the 4 August.

I ask you to consider why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children account for 65% of children aged 10 – 14 years imprisoned in gaol?

Why Aboriginal people are in grossly disproportionate numbers, compared with non-Aboriginal people, in both police and prison custody?

The answer is racism. It’s pandemic and it kills. And the blame lies with me….and you.

But we can change…..

 

By: Angela Finn · Filed Under: Passions

July 28, 2020

A pandemic of racism

Structurally embedded racism is made possible by power. I witnessed that today when I arrived at the Domain at 12:15 pm to find a huge police presence, a few media, and a couple of stragglers.

What happened?

A young man – wearing a protective face mask – sitting on his own told me that the organizers of the Justice for David Dungay Black Lives Matter gathering were arrested, fined and a small number of people were dispersed around a quarter to 12.

He couldn’t understand why everyone was so against the gathering when it was outdoors, in a huge park that was perfect for physical distancing.

He said “I work at Parramatta Westfield and it is packed with people every weekend. Why is that the gatherings at schools, the shopping centres, Churches, the races, and the footy are no risks to public health”?

We spoke at length about the pandemic of racism in Australia and tried to understand why.

Why do we have a culture that demonizes Indigenous Australian people?

Why is there such little concern in the wider community about black deaths in custody?

Why do people fail to understand that the Dungay family and their supporters are seeking justice and speaking up in order to save lives?

Why won’t the governments listen, acknowledge, and address the concerns of the people protesting?

Why won’t the governments implement recommendations from the Royal Commission into black deaths in custody made over 30 years ago?

Why do we have laws in Australia that arrest, charge, and imprison children aged 10? And why is that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children account for 65% of these younger children in prison?

With every why, I felt so incredibly sad “what sort of society is this”?

I said goodbye. Put my headphones on to listen to music and cried as I walked through the park past groups of police standing around.

As I reached the Strand Arcade to the Haigs chocolate shop (well, I was in town, so I thought I might as well get a few chocolate hard caramels), I met a man sitting outside the shop, who was asking for money.

We got talking and I told him why I was in town. He said he was Aboriginal and had experienced racist comments throughout his life. But said he wouldn’t protest; as it was no point. He said he was proud of who he was and that’s all that mattered to him.

I told him I came to the Domain today for Leetona Dungay, David’s Mum because she shouldn’t have to fight on her own to seek justice for the death of her son in custody. He nodded and smiled at me.

As I headed back to work, I vowed to keep loving, connecting with people, listening and learning so as to peel away some of the layers of racism, bigotry, and naivety in us all.

By: Angela Finn · Filed Under: Passions

July 1, 2020

Doing things differently

Eight years ago, when I became a marriage celebrant, I had no idea what 2020 would be like.

The Coronavirus, the Black Lives Matter movement, climate change, plus the Me Too movement have opened my eyes to how much inequality and stress there is in the world I live in.

Much of it is needless and counterproductive. Unfair too. Perpetuated by the dominant culture as the ‘right or only way’ to do things.

Weddings fall into this dominant culture.

Marriage ceremonies – by and large – follow a relatively typical structure and format that fits nicely into what a wedding should look like.

Societal expectations, as well as ‘traditions’ and etiquette perpetuated by consumerism – affect the design.

Well, it’s time to challenge the status quo, break out of the confines of what a wedding day should look like, and instead create something different.

Doing things differently is an attitude of possibility. It encourages curiosity, learning, creativity, empathy, diversity, generousity, and confidence.

I’m offering a ‘different way to get married’ for couples who want to deviate from typical wedding traditions and infuse equality and creativity into their marriage ceremony.

It’s called an ‘alt marriage ceremony’

It might stand for an alternative approach to getting married. But what it truly stands for is taking responsibility for the decisions you make.

It’s questioning why, sitting with discomfort, embracing change.

It’s standing up for equality, diversity, and making a difference.

If you want a ceremony that reflects what matters most to you and takes your relationship to a whole new level, contact me to kick it up a notch.

By: Angela Finn · Filed Under: Ceremony Content

August 18, 2019

Rethinking the celebrant registration process

Sunday 30 September 2018 was a memorable wedding. It was a perfect afternoon on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour at Vaucluse. The ceremony was beautiful – an honest reflection and celebration of the couple, their family and friends. The newlyweds sparkled as bright as the sun glistened on the harbour. Everyone was high on happiness.

I packed my paperwork into my bag, collapsed the tripod, hoisted the PA bag over my shoulder and farewelled the couple. As I walked to my car, a wave of sadness descended. This was my final wedding after six wonderful years working as a civil marriage celebrant.

Three days later, I was no longer deemed ‘a fit and proper person’ suitable to solemnise marriages. I was deregistered as a Commonwealth-marriage celebrant. My crime? I forgot to pay the annual marriage celebrant registration charge by the final payment date required.

Now, before you shout “surely, a celebrant can be organised enough to pay the annual celebrant registration charge invoice within 60 days?” I certainly had been since the introduction of the charge in 2014.

But inconceivable as it might seem, I forgot in 2018. An immediate family member had died, and another was in the hospital. I did not check my secondary email account where the notice was sent until ten days past the due payment date. The SMS text reminder never arrived. I was too late.

If the marriage celebrant registration invoice remains unpaid after 60 days from the date of issue (the legislated ‘charge payment day’), under section 39FB of the Marriage Act 1961, the celebrant must be deregistered. There is no discretion even when circumstances like a sudden illness, a death in the family or even a domestic violence situation affects the timing of the payment.

Quite naturally, we all tend to sit by passively and accept laws without much thought or consideration given to their implications unless personally affected. But seemingly well-intentioned laws can backfire, expose absurd processes, and unjust outcomes.

One day I met all the requirements to practise as a Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant, and the next I did not.

To re-register, I had to wait several months (after I completed the red tape, obtained three referee reports and paid the $600 application fee plus $40 for a police history check) to satisfy the requirements, and ‘once again’ practise as a Commonwealth registered marriage celebrant.

The re-registration process is even more absurd and costly for marriage celebrants with over 10 years’ experience. They are required to retrain if they don’t have the current training requirements of a Cert IV in Celebrancy or an equivalent tertiary qualification. It’s not surprising therefore when a celebrant with 20 years’ experience and well over a thousand marriage ceremonies under her belt, decided that to register ‘again’ was a complete waste of time, effort and money.

The current processes and law illustrate the defects in the legislation and the serious implications of mandatory deregistration.

2018 – the same year I was deregistered – saw the highest number of celebrants deregistered since the introduction of the cost-recovery charge. It’s highly likely the massive jump from 170 celebrants deregistered in 2017 to 370 in 2018 can be attributed to the omission of an SMS text reminder to celebrants from the Marriage Law and Celebrants Section (MLCS), as in previous years.

The reason the text message was not sent in 2018 was that the part of the department that had that capacity was moved in a Machinery of Government change.

Thankfully, this year, the MLCS is using a provider for the text reminders to help prevent celebrants from missing the payment date and deregistration. But that doesn’t help me. It is also disappointing that the MLCS does not obtain data from deregistered celebrants to determine their reason for non-payment, as this type of information would be useful to improve processes.

Losing my job and informing the couples who booked me to officiate their marriage that it was no longer possible, was gut-wrenching. The couples were forced to find a new celebrant – some within a very short time frame – which caused distress and inconvenience.

The couples chose me because of my personality, service, and reputation to create and deliver a marriage ceremony for one of the most important days in their life. My business reputation was now damaged. Plus, I lost $4,200 income from cancelled weddings which was a significant cost to me and my family.

Being deregistered is one of the worst things that can happen to a marriage celebrant, so I kept my status close. I only told a few couples and celebrants who I felt would understand and not judge. To the others, I simply provided vague responses when asked why I had to cancel the weddings.

From what I’ve gathered, when the annual registration charge and the penalty of deregistration for non-payment were proposed, there was some support from some Celebrant Associations, but strong opposition from most associations.

The charge is a cost recovery levy, rather than a fee. It is imposed on 28% of marriage celebrants in Australia – which is another reason why deregistration for the non-payment of the charge is grossly unfair.

But, before we expend energy and precious time pointing blame and citing obstacles, let’s instead focus on what needs to be done.

The Commonwealth government has the potential to collect 2.2 million dollars from the payment of the 2019 – 2020 annual celebrant registration charge imposed on 9,125 Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrants for the cost of running the Marriage Celebrants Program.

Given this situation, what possibilities can you suggest to improve the efficiency of the marriage celebrant registration charge process? And – while you are at it – improve the celebrant training course and how to effectively disseminate information to celebrants. I have a few ideas, but for now…

Here’s a proposal for the marriage registration charge process

The period to renew a marriage celebrant registration is from 1 July to 31 August every two years. After August 31, there is a grace period of 60 days in which celebrants can renew their registration by paying the registration charge plus a late fee. During this period, the celebrants registration remains active.

After October 31, the celebrant’s registration status changes to inactive. In the two years following this, the celebrant can apply to reactive their registration. They must complete a ‘re-activation’ application and show proof that they have caught up with continuing education requirements and legislative knowledge. An application fee applies, as well as the renewal charge.

After 2 years, if the celebrant has not reactivated their registration, the status is deactivated. If a former marriage celebrant wishes to be authorised to solemnise marriages under Australian law, they can reapply through the normal process. And, they may qualify for recognised prior learning which accounts for the skills, knowledge, and experience that the celebrant possesses.

Here’s how to take action

Contact the Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations – The Hon Christian Porter MP for a review and legislative change of Section 39B of the Marriage Act 1961. If you like the proposal above, include it as a discussion point, or send your ideas. And, ask others to contact Christian Porter to request a change.

If you are not a member of a Celebrant Association, consider researching and joining one. There are Associations with fabulous celebrants as members who have a wealth of knowledge and experience about the ‘essence’ of the celebrant program. Enter the adventure, learn, ask questions and get involved.

Let us create possibilities that support and encourage each other as celebrants to improve and grow. That way, we can be the best, and give the public the best.

By: Angela Finn · Filed Under: Marriage · Tagged: celebrant charge, deregistration, marriage celebrant, marriage law

June 18, 2017

Everything you need to know about a Civil Marriage Celebrant

Marriage celebrant Angela Finn speaks into a microphone at a wedding ceremony in Centennial Park SydneyWhat is a Civil Marriage Celebrant?
A Civil Marriage Celebrant is a person who is registered by the Australian Attorneys Department Government to authorise legal marriages according to the Marriage Act 1961. Registered Marriage Celebrants are regulated by the Attorney General’s Department.

What is the process to become a Civil Marriage Celebrant?
Persons must successfully complete a Certificate IV Celebrancy, submit an application for registration to the Attorney General’s department, successfully answer a series of legal questions about marriage law and process, and be deemed a “fit and proper” person by the Registrar of Marriage Celebrants to qualify for registration as a Marriage Celebrant.

To maintain registration, a Civil Marriage Celebrant must pay an annual registration fee, complete 1.5 hours of Professional Development per year, use specific forms and stationery to carry out their duties and comply with the Code of Practice for Marriage Celebrants.

What do Marriage Celebrants do?
Marriage Celebrants are authorised to formalise marriages according to the law in Australia under the Marriage Act 1961. Marriage Celebrants ensure all legal marriage documentation is prepared correctly. They also provide information and guidance to the couple pertaining to the marriage ceremony. They also create and deliver marriage ceremonies according the couple’s needs and expectations.

What are the advantages of choosing a Civil Marriage Celebrant?
In contrast to religious or registry office authorities, a Civil Marriage Celebrant has greater flexibility when it comes to providing couples with choice regarding their ceremony content and location. A Civil Marriage Celebrant can provide couples the opportunity to express their love, relationship and commitment in a ceremony that is uniquely their own.

Are Civil Marriage Celebrants all the same?
Civil Marriage Celebrants have varying degrees of dedication, skill experience and practice. There are over 9,000 Commonwealth registered Marriage celebrants in Australia. A great wedding celebrant invests considerable time and skill to a marriage ceremony. They are motivated by a genuine passion for the art of ceremony creation and presentation.

By: Angela Finn · Filed Under: Celebrant

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