Privacy for births, relationships and deaths
What information we collect
We collect personal and health information to register life events in the ACT. There are three type of information we collect:
- Personal information includes names, date of birth, contact details (emails, phone number, address).
- Health information includes things such as baby weight and cause of death details,
- Sensitive information includes Aboriginal and Torres Straight Island status, religious affiliations, racial or ethnic origin, adoption, and criminal record information.
Why we collect your information
Our main function is to register life events that occur in the ACT.
We collect your information to:
- assess your eligibility
- confirm and establish your identity
- register your details
- issue your certificate
- contact you about your application
- search for your records
- comply with a legal obligation
We collect information through:
- online applications forms
- paper-based application forms
- your correspondence with us (online, phone, email)
- statutory declarations
- via our industry partners such as funeral directors, marriage celebrants, hospitals and the coroner office
Authority to collect information
The collection of this information is authorised by the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1997.
How your information is stored and used
The information you provide will be securely stored in the Registry. The Registrar-General protects your privacy in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2014.
Information held in the Registry may be de-identified and shared with authorised government and non-government agencies for statistical purposes. Identifiable information may be provided to law enforcement agencies in limited circumstances authorised by law.
Certificates issued by this office may be checked by external agencies using the National Document Verification Service.
Our access policy
All applications are assessed against the Births, Deaths and Marriages Access Policy (PDF 391.8 KB).
The purpose of the access policy is to ensure authorised access to the records we keep and to protect your privacy.
Privacy Impact Assessment
We undertake Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA) to make sure your personal information is protected.
Implementation of online service portals
A PIA was undertaken on the implementation of 10 online service portals. Overall, the PIA process did not identify any high risks issues. The PIA found that many of the privacy processes and procedures the Registrar-General has in place were mature and robust from a privacy perspective.
The recommendations made in this PIA aim to ensure current processes and procedures are reviewed and remain compliant and further steps are taken to provide clear and accessible privacy information to the public.
Read a summary of the Online Service Portal PIA (PDF 333.2 KB)
Birth of a Child Pilot Project
A PIA was undertaken for the Birth of a Child Pilot Project.
The PIA for the Birth of a Child Pilot Project found that the project has some privacy risks but also gave recommendations to address these risks.
How we use the Document Verification Service
The Document Verification Service (DVS) is a national secure online system. We may use the DVS to check identity documents issued by Australian, State and Territory agencies. The DVS checks your details are the same as those on your ID and that your ID is real. We only keep a copy of your identity documents when further checks are required or when a document is not verifiable in the DVS.
For further information see our DVS Collection Notice (PDF 187.1 KB).
Our applications forms ask for your consent to use the DVS.
You have the choice not to use the DVS. If you do not consent to the DVS, you must attend an Access Canberra Service Centre for your documents to be checked in person.