THE Western NSW Medicare Local (WML) Closing the Gap team are trying to help the high number of Aboriginal people who cannot obtain a birth certificate.
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WML, elders from Bathurst’s Aboriginal community and a number of organisations in Bathurst, have identified there is a significant number of indigenous people who have not been registered at birth, and therefore cannot obtain a birth certificate.
WML director of primary care Stephen Mann said the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) would bring its Indigenous Access Program to Bathurst later this month, to increase birth registration and help people apply for birth certificates.
“We will be running the program over two days and expect quite a few people to turn up,” he said.
Mr Mann said apart from providing proof of age, birth certificates were key to obtaining a driver’s licence or passport, starting school,
registering for organised sport, opening a bank account, receiving social security benefits and more.
“If a baby’s birth is not registered, if they miss that boat, it can be impossible for them to catch back up,” he said.
Mr Mann said it was a legal requirement in NSW for a child to be registered at birth, and said fines for failing to register a child could deter people from making a registration in later years.
He said the BDM would run two Access Program events in Bathurst, at which there would be amnesty for all applications. The program would also offer birth certificates for the reduced rate of $38 (in comparison to $51) for Aboriginal people.
Mr Mann said the lower number of Aboriginal babies registered, could be due to a number of factors.
“It is up to parents to register their own child,” he said. “They are given a receipt from the Maternity Department to take to Centrelink to begin payment as well as registration.”
However, Mr Mann said due to many barriers associated with the registration process, Aboriginal people could be overwhelmed by the amount of forms that needed to be filled in.
He said the registration process involved complex and lengthy paper work and that registrations had to be filed at local courthouses.
“They have to go to a courthouse to file the registration, and may not want to go due to the stigma it has to them, as they may have issue with authority and feel marginalised.”
Mr Mann said he thought offering reduced birth certificates to those in Bathurst and amnesty for all applications was long over due.
The program will be run by a BDM Aboriginal field officer at Kelso Community Clinic between 9.30am and 4.30pm on July 23, and at the Aboriginal Land Council between 9.30am and 4.30pm on July 24.
For more information contact Aboriginal Outreach and Chronic Disease Liaison Officer Donna Mullins on 0457 898 543.