Every year, Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrants must complete their ongoing professional development (OPD) by 31 December. And every year, a significant percentage of celebrants wait until the final couple of weeks before the due date to do it (even though it only takes 1-2 hours, and has been available since April!).
Admit it… you’ve been ignoring that email from the Attorney-General’s Department (AGD) informing you that your OPD (aka compulsory professional development or CPD) is ready. You know you have to do it eventually, but you just haven’t been able to find the time or motivation. We’re not here to judge – we are here to help!
If this is your first time doing celebrant OPD (or you just want a refresher), you may want to check out this blog post on OPD basics and FAQs first.
Here are our top tips for getting your celebrant OPD done:
1. Carve out dedicated time – and don’t leave it to the last minute
By law, OPD should be estimated to take 1-2 hours per year, though some celebrants may need a little more or less time.
Block out a couple of uninterrupted hours in your calendar during a week you don’t have too many weddings or other commitments. Allocating a dedicated time to complete your required professional development activities will help keep you focused and on task.
You can also save your progress before submitting, so you can complete it in short bursts if that suits your schedule better.
Importantly, don’t leave it to the last minute. While you have until the 31 December to submit your OPD, if you have a family emergency or a technical issue with the website, there won’t be anyone at the AGD office between Christmas and New Year to help you.
2. Find a study buddy (or join one of our OPD Zoom sessions)
Everything is easier with a friend. Pair up with another celebrant and work through the material at the same time – whether in person, on Zoom, at the pub, or just messaging back and forth for accountability.
This technique is called ‘body doubling’ and it can be particularly helpful for neurodivergent brains and people with ADHD.
Alternatively, we host several online OPD Zoom sessions throughout the year (our last one is 8th December – RSVP here) for anyone who wants some structured time, a bit of company, or gentle encouragement to get it done.
3. Download all the resources you need before you begin
We promise that the AGD isn’t trying to trick you with impossible questions, but they are trying to make sure you know where to find information you need to do your job.
Almost every answer for OPD will be either in the activity workbook provided (UPDATED FOR 2026: you can download the Separate Meetings 2026 Workbook here) or the Guidelines for Marriage Celebrants. Occasionally, you may also need to refer to the Marriage Act 1961 or the Marriage Regulations 2017.
Set yourself up for success by making sure you have downloaded all these documents before getting started.
Of course, the Guidelines and the Act are huge documents, so a helpful trick is to use the Find function inside the PDFs.
- Press Ctrl + F (Windows) or Command + F (Mac).
- Type in a key word from the question (e.g., “interpreter,” “section 42,” “witness” etc).
- Jump straight to the relevant section rather than scrolling through dozens of pages.
And most importantly: actually read the provided workbook first. It’s designed to guide you through what the AGD wants you to understand this year.
4. Read the questions (and multiple choice answers) very carefully
While we stand by the statement that the AGD isn’t trying to trick you, they do want to challenge you.
Some questions will specifically ask you to select the incorrect statement rather than the correct one. Some answers may look really similar, with only a small technical difference between them.
Occasionally (and sometimes frustratingly), a question might be written in such a way that it could be argued that there are multiple correct answers or that none of the options are 100% right – in that case, it’s best to pick the option that seems most correct according to the Guidelines.
Slow down, read it twice, and check the Guidelines and workbooks for the answer.
5. Screenshot your answers before submitting
If you don’t get 100% on your first go, you get three more attempts to get the right answer, so it can be helpful to have a record of the incorrect option you tried.
Before you click submit, take a screenshot to record all your answers. If you use Chrome as your browser, you can add the free GoFullPage Chrome extension to capture the entire webpage with just one click – too easy!
And while you’re at it, take a screenshot of your final result to keep on record for your own learning.
6. Don’t stress – you cannot fail OPD
Yes, you are given four attempts to get all the answers correct, but even if you still have a couple of questions incorrect after the fourth attempt, you will still have completed your OPD.
You cannot fail OPD – all you need to do to meet your annual legal requirement is complete it. So no need to put it off because you’re worried about getting the answers wrong. The point isn’t to be perfect – the point is to learn!
Conclusion: Preparation and careful reading are the key to celebrant OPD
With a little preparation and maybe a celebrant study buddy, OPD doesn’t need to be a stressful chore. So resolve to end your procrastination today and follow our tips to get your OPD – future you will be grateful when you’re sipping Champagne on New Year’s Eve instead of sitting at your laptop!
