The Need for Reform of Australia's Birth Registration Systems

Ron Levy et al, New Directions for Law in Australia: Essays in Contemporary Law Reform (ANU Press 2017)

Monash University Faculty of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2018-6

11 Pages Posted: 20 Feb 2018

See all articles by Melissa Castan

Melissa Castan

Monash University - Faculty of Law

Paula Gerber

Monash University - Faculty of Law

Date Written: September 5, 2017

Abstract

Having a birth certificate is a key to accessing the rights of citizenship. Most Australians take it for granted that they can prove who they are by producing their birth certificate. But there are a number of Australians – predominantly Indigenous people and those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities – who miss out on the rights and benefits of citizenship and struggle to fully participate in society because their birth has never been registered or, if it was, they cannot produce a birth certificate to prove it. We seek to identify the areas where law reform will provide measurable improvements and contribute to the debate about how best to address the diverse range of issues that prevent Australia achieving universal birth registration.

Keywords: Birth registration, legal identity, Indigenous Rights, Birth Certificate

JEL Classification: I18, K10

Suggested Citation

Castan, Melissa and Gerber, Paula, The Need for Reform of Australia's Birth Registration Systems (September 5, 2017). Ron Levy et al, New Directions for Law in Australia: Essays in Contemporary Law Reform (ANU Press 2017), Monash University Faculty of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2018-6, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3118733 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3118733

Melissa Castan (Contact Author)

Monash University - Faculty of Law ( email )

Wellington Road
Clayton, Victoria 3800
Australia

Paula Gerber

Monash University - Faculty of Law ( email )

Wellington Road
Clayton, Victoria 3800
Australia

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
43
Abstract Views
520
PlumX Metrics