Attorney-General—€™s Portfolio Miscellaneous Measures 2023

# Attorney-General's Portfolio Miscellaneous Measures Bill 2023 ## What it does This bill makes several practical updates to federal law across courts, marriage ceremonies, and financial regulation. The main changes are: giving the Federal Court power to hear criminal cases (like fraud and superannuation breaches), allowing juries in Federal Court trials, and updating marriage registration rules to modernise how celebrants are approved and weddings are conducted. ## Why it matters These changes aim to speed up how serious financial crimes are handled and make the marriage system more efficient. The updates to marriage laws remove outdated rules and cut red tape for people registering as marriage celebrants. ## Key details - **Federal Court gets criminal cases**: The Federal Court can now prosecute crimes under the Corporations Act, superannuation laws, and consumer credit laws—offences that previously went to state courts. - **Marriage celebrant changes**: Registration applications now have clearer timeframes, celebrants can get refunds if rejected, and there's a new single-registration option (instead of separate approvals). Identity checks are tightened, and celebrants must physically be present at ceremonies. - **Coming into effect**: Most changes take effect the day after Royal Assent; the celebrant single-registration section takes effect 28 days later, giving time for systems to prepare.

🔒 Voting closed — this bill has been decided by parliament