Consultation on the 'Happily Ever (before and) After' brochure for marrying couples

Between 16 June and 15 September 2025, we held a public consultation on an updated draft of the ‘Happily Ever (before and) After’ document (HEBA). 

The HEBA document outlines the steps that are required to get married in Australia, the legal implications of marriage, and the availability of marriage education and counselling. It is provided for the purposes of section 42(5A) of the Marriage Act 1961 (Cth) (the Marriage Act).

We sought views from interested stakeholders on the content of this important, widely distributed document.

We received 348 submissions to the consultation. Most of these (344) came from current or former authorised marriage celebrants.

Submissions provided a wide range of views on what should, and should not be, included in the HEBA document. Key issues and themes raised included:

• the importance of using plain, clear language
• the need for further explanation of important terms such as real consent
• the need to list additional support services relating to specific groups, such as First Nations and LGBTIQA+ people, and issues such as domestic and family violence and forced marriage
• the tension between providing too little and too much information and the way in which the information should be explained and organised.

We have analysed and considered all responses received as part of the consultation. This feedback has informed further changes to the draft HEBA document to address the matters above.

We will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders in refining the final version of the document.

Thank you to everyone involved in the consultation process for your time and engagement and for sharing your views and ideas.