10 October 2007

Minister proposes amendments to BDMRR Bill

Internal Affairs Minister, Rick Barker has written to the Government Administration Select Committee with a proposal to amend the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Amendment Bill.

The amendments seek to address the concerns some members public and interested parties had about allowing legitimate public access to information held by the Births, Deaths and Marriages registry - while still protecting private and personal information from abuse.

"The Bill was written in the strongest possible way to protect the public from identity fraud and misuse of personal information. My letter to the Committee now seeks to balance those protections against the need for transparency and access to records for legitimate purposes," Mr Barker said.

"The new proposals would allow access to records and safeguard private information by;

- requiring applicants for certificates and printouts to present adequate identification,
- creating an ‘access register’ so people can find out who has accessed their records,
- and enabling a person to request that their records not be disclosed to the public.

"This approach is consistent with the Bill’s original policy intentions and also maintains generally open public access to the information.

"The level of public interest in this Bill has been encouraging and I stated from the outset that I would consider all workable suggestions that sought to strike an appropriate balance between ensuring that individuals and families have their personal information protected against abuse, and allowing appropriate access to the information for legitimate purposes.

"I look forward to continuing to work with the Committee, the public, and other interested parties to progress this important piece of legislation," Mr Barker said.

ENDS

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