Coolamon Strategy
2017–18
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Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages / Coolamon Strategy 2017–18
Preface
In launching the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Coolamon Strategy,I acknowledge the Kulin Nation, on whose lands the Registry is based. I acknowledge the efforts of many Koori Elders, both past and present, to secure the heritage and future of Victoria’s Koori community, and I extend the Registry’s hand of friendship in continuing that task.
Research in Victoria has demonstrated that Koori people experience barriers to registering births and applying for birth certificates. The level of non-registration of births has been identified as higher in the Koori community than among other Victorians. Yet the importance of preserving individual and family identity in Koori culture is integral to the work of the Registry’s mission, and an area in which the Registry seeks to work collaboratively with Koori community members.
People whose births are not registered face barriers to services and opportunities that many of us take for granted. Not having access to a birth certificate can have profound impacts for a person’s social participation and life chances. Specific impacts may include difficulties accessing education and training; obtaining tax file numbers, passports and learner driver permits; and, accessing government services and payments.
The Registry has developed this Coolamon Strategy to document the Registry’s commitment to working to increase the Koori community’s access to the registration of key life events, particularly births, and the obtaining of related certificates. The Coolamon Strategy is a living document, and the Registry welcomes suggestions from the Koori community of other initiatives for inclusion in the strategy.
Working togetheris a central principle of the Coolamon Strategy, to make sure that Koori access to the services of the Registry is supported in the most respectful, culturally sensitive and effective way.
James Lawson
Director and Registrar
Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
Purpose
The purpose of the Coolamon Strategy is to increase access to services provided by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (the Registry) to members of Victoria’s Koori[1] community.
Background
The Registry was established in 1853 as part of the Colony of Victoria. The mid-nineteenth century, the time the Registry was established, was a period of significant destruction and dislocation for Koori communities.
The Registry today
The Registry is responsible for preserving the records of key life events which take place in Victoria, such as:
- Births
- Marriages
- Changes of Name
- Adoptions
- Domestic and caring relationships
- Deaths.
These records are the key source for proving individual identity and family relationships.They are also a rich resource forfamily history identity, genealogical studies and (in de-identified form) for government and for researchers to better understand community needs.
In 2013, the Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC) produced a report on the rate of birth registration across the Victorian community. In the report, the VLRC found that access to the Registry’s services, including birth registrations, tended to be lower among members of the Koori community than the Victorian population average. This observation is supported by the Registry’s experience that the number of outstanding hospital birth notifications (that is, those which have not been matched by subsequent birth registration statements from parents) tend to be highest in the Victorian regions with a high proportion of Koori community members.
The VLRC attributed the lack of access to Registry services to a range of factors, including lack of awareness of the benefits of registration, financial barriers, cultural unease with official registration of children, and familial dislocation (for example, family violence or factors such as substance abuse leading to disruption of family relationships).
The focus of the Coolamon Strategy is to make the services offered by the Registry more accessible to members of Victoria’s Koori community. Each of the four areas of focus for the Registry are set out below. The Coolamon Strategy will be underpinned by an action plan which will detail how the Registry intends to implement the Strategy.
Focus of the Coolamon Strategy
Increasing awareness of the Registry’s services
The Registry will work with the Regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committeeexecutive officers to find the most effective way to communicate the Registry’s services to regional communities. The Registry is keen to travel to regional areas and engage with local Koori communities and organisations, to raise awareness of the services that the Registry provides and also assist with birth registrations, as it is never too late to register a birth.
The Registry will also work with localAboriginal community organisationswhich engage with Koori community members when a child is born, so that parents have access to the right information at the right time, in a culturally sensitive format.
Working with government and community agencies to support Koori community members
The Registry is building relationships with other government and community agencies so that Koori community members affected by social dislocation can access Registry services despite their lives being interrupted.
Some initiatives currently being progressed or planned by the Registry include:
- The Registry is working with the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services to establish a pilot for undertaking checks on birth registration for children in out of home care, so that a child can obtain a birth certificate enabling them to access other community services.
- The Registry is working with maternity hospitals to improve the information received on the birth of a child in Victoria, including the Indigenous status of the mother, as well as a phone number for the mother, allowing the Registry to follow up outstanding birth notifications.
- The Registry is working with Mission Australia’s Social Enterprise’s Charcoal Lane and Synergy Auto Repairs to find ways to reduce barriers for young people in these programs to obtain birth certificates, which will assist the young people to obtain other key documents, such as a tax file number, and achieve independence and stability.
- The Registry will work with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) to develop frequently asked questions in regardsto completing a birth registration form to make it easier for Koori parents to register the birth of their child.
- The Registry will work with Corrections Victoria to explore ways to ensure that Koori community members who enter the prison system receive a birth certificate before their release, to support their integration into society after they leave prison.
- The Registry will partner with the Dispute Settlement Centre Victoria to deliver information sessions on Registry services to Koori communities in regional Victoria.
- The Registry will work to build relationships with key community agencies providing family violence services so that women affected by family violence can be given the information and support they need to complete their child’s birth registration in a safe way.
Ensuring that the services of the Registry are delivered in a culturally sensitive way
The Registry is working on ensuring that its services are delivered in a culturally sensitive way, and that Koori people feel welcome and supported when accessing the Registry’s services. While this is the responsibility of all Registry staff, the Registry’s Koori Relationships Officer, Kristen Bell, is available however, if customers require assistance.
The Registry has already taken a number of steps towards providing a more welcoming service for Koori people, including the installation of Aboriginal, Australian and Torres Strait Islander flags in the Registry Service Centre (the Centre), the unveiling of a plaque in the Centreacknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Registry sits, and bringing together Registry staff to acknowledge and celebrate key events such as Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week. Importantly, the Koori Relationships Officer will be available to assist Koori people who encounter difficulties in accessing the Registry’ services.
The Registry recognises that the standard official certificates may have limited cultural resonance for some community members. The Registry offers a commemorative certificate with artwork by three acclaimed Victorian Koori artists but recognises that this needs to be better promoted.
The Registry will also be developing a Koori Inclusion Action Plan (KIAP) that formalises priorities and actions for the Registry to ensure it provides a sustainable and safe environment for all staff and citizens, that is respectful and inclusive of the perspectives, experiences and needs of Koori people.
Reducing financial barriers to access certificates
Where members of the Koori community demonstrate that their financial position is a barrier to their application for a standard certificate, including a birth certificate, the Registry waives the standard certificate fee.
Review
The Coolamon Strategy is a living document, which is amended as it operates to ensure it remains effective and capable of responding flexibly to changing needs.
Contacting the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
BDM is committed to providing culturally sensitive services to Koori people.
The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
595 Collins StreetMelbourne
1300 369 367 (within Australia)
+61 3 9613 5111 (overseas callers)
8am - 4pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays)
BDM has a Koori Relationships Officer to assist with enquiries.
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[1] Throughout this document the term ‘Koori’ is used to refer to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.