Subparagraph 5(b)(iii) of the Code of Practice requires Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrants to maintain appropriate facilities for the secure storage of records. This means celebrants must keep records and marriage documents in a secure place for six years from the date of the last entry on the sheet. It is an offence under the Marriage Regulations for a celebrant to contravene this record-keeping.

Secure place is defined as a lockable storage or filing cupboard or in a digital sense, a password protected filing system.

Prudence Takle, Marriage Celebrant can confirm that personal all and private information is stored within a Customer Management System which is password protected. Once a marriage is complete, the data is archived, however the Customer Contact Details remain in possession for six years as per the Marriage Act 1961.

Note 1: A marriage celebrant is a person registered under Subdivision C of Division 1 of Part IV of the Marriage Act 1961: see subsection 5(1) of that Act.  

The storage and safekeeping of personal information