Visit the Marriage Day website for this year's event. 

In 2009 a sell-out crowd filled the Great Hall at Parliament House Canberra on August 13, to celebrate marriage and submit 10,000 petitions to declare August 13, National Marriage Day.

The AFA thanks its members and many others who braved the cold winter morning to join the former Governor-General, Major-General Peter Phillips, MPs, religious leaders and ordinary Australians to mark the occasion.

Former Governor-General, Major General Michael Jeffery AC AO(Mil), CVO MC(Retd) and his wife Marlena, joyfully accepted their role as Marriage Ambassadors.  You can download the speech here(PDF).

"Marlena and I thank you most warmly and sincerely for the honour you have bestowed upon us as National Marriage Ambassadors.

We look forward to this responsibility and doing our best to promote the importance of marriage over the coming year."

The main presentation was delivered by Mr James Bogle, TD, M.A., AClarb., a barrister, author, broadcaster, historian, lieutenant-colonel, and pro-marriage activist from the UK. You can download the speech here(PDF).

"The family is where the vast majority of us learn the fundamental skills for life physically, emotionally and socially it is the context from which the rest of life flows...

Policies need to pay particular attention to the needs of our youngest citizens, those in the first three years of life where the nurture of their parents is of prime importance."