Birth/Death certificates

Nate made this Right to Information request to Tasmanian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages

This request has been closed to new correspondence from the public body. Contact us if you think it ought be re-opened.

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, Tasmanian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Dear Tasmanian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages,

I would like to know the if marital status is listed on marriage and death ceritficates (long form and not the commemorative ones) issued by Tasmanian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

If yes, please clarify the ALL types of marital status that can be listed under the BDM act. Please issue a SAMPLE marriage as well as a Death certificate(ones with marital status on them if any).

Further, please clarify if at the time of death, what is the marital status listed on marriage/death certificate if the person was in a registered relationship OR revoked a significant relationship.

Yours faithfully,

Nate

deWeys, Allan, Tasmanian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages

Hi Nate,
Is this a request from a private citizen or a media organisation?
Thanks,
Al.

Allan de Weys | Communications Officer
Office of the Secretary
Department of Justice

p (03) 6165 4889
m 0448 232 709
e [email address]
w www.justice.tas.gov.au
Level 14, 110 Collins St, Hobart, TAS 7000 | GPO Box 825, Hobart TAS 7000

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER: This email and any attachments are confidential and may be legally privileged (in which case neither is waived or lost by mistaken delivery). The email and any attachments are intended only for the intended addressee(s). Please notify us by return email if you have received this email and any attachments by mistake, and delete them. If this email and any attachments include advice, that advice is based on, and limited to, the instructions received by the sender. Any unauthorised use of this email and any attachments is expressly prohibited. Any liability in connection with any viruses or other defects in this email and any attachments, is limited to re-supplying this email and any attachments.

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Dear Allan,
This request is from a private citizen, via righttoknow.org.au.

Yours sincerely,

Nate

deWeys, Allan, Tasmanian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages

Hi Nate,
Thanks for your enquiry.
Unfortunately we aren't able to supply samples of certificates for security reasons.
Answers to your questions are provided below.
Regards,
Al.

I would like to know the if marital status is listed on marriage and death ceritficates (long form and not the commemorative ones) issued by Tasmanian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Yes. A person’s current marital status, at the time of the event, is stated on marriage and death certificates. In the case of deaths, the information is provided by next of kin so sometimes the marital status is not known.

If yes, please clarify the ALL types of marital status that can be listed under the BDM act. Please issue a SAMPLE marriage as well as a Death certificate(ones with marital status on them if any).
Marriage certificates state the marital status of the parties at the date of marriage. The statuses are: never validly married (meaning single), divorced, widowed. No reference to a registered relationship is on the marriage documents because relationship registrations are a State law whereas the Marriage Act is Federal.

Further, please clarify if at the time of death, what is the marital status listed on marriage/death certificate if the person was in a registered relationship OR revoked a significant relationship.
Death statuses are: never married, married, separated but not divorced, divorced, widowed, caring or significant relationship and unknown. There is no reference to a revoked significant relationship on a death registration.

Allan de Weys | Communications Officer
Office of the Secretary
Department of Justice

p (03) 6165 4889
m 0448 232 709
e [email address]
w www.justice.tas.gov.au
Level 14, 110 Collins St, Hobart, TAS 7000 | GPO Box 825, Hobart TAS 7000

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER: This email and any attachments are confidential and may be legally privileged (in which case neither is waived or lost by mistaken delivery). The email and any attachments are intended only for the intended addressee(s). Please notify us by return email if you have received this email and any attachments by mistake, and delete them. If this email and any attachments include advice, that advice is based on, and limited to, the instructions received by the sender. Any unauthorised use of this email and any attachments is expressly prohibited. Any liability in connection with any viruses or other defects in this email and any attachments, is limited to re-supplying this email and any attachments.

show quoted sections

deWeys, Allan, Tasmanian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages

Hi Nate,
Thanks for your enquiry.
Unfortunately we aren't able to supply samples of certificates for security reasons.
Answers to your questions are provided below.
Regards,
Al.

I would like to know the if marital status is listed on marriage and death ceritficates (long form and not the commemorative ones) issued by Tasmanian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Yes. A person’s current marital status, at the time of the event, is stated on marriage and death certificates. In the case of deaths, the information is provided by next of kin so sometimes the marital status is not known.

If yes, please clarify the ALL types of marital status that can be listed under the BDM act. Please issue a SAMPLE marriage as well as a Death certificate(ones with marital status on them if any).
Marriage certificates state the marital status of the parties at the date of marriage. The statuses are: never validly married (meaning single), divorced, widowed. No reference to a registered relationship is on the marriage documents because relationship registrations are a State law whereas the Marriage Act is Federal.

Further, please clarify if at the time of death, what is the marital status listed on marriage/death certificate if the person was in a registered relationship OR revoked a significant relationship.
Death statuses are: never married, married, separated but not divorced, divorced, widowed, caring or significant relationship and unknown. There is no reference to a revoked significant relationship on a death registration.

Allan de Weys | Communications Officer
Office of the Secretary
Department of Justice

p (03) 6165 4889
m 0448 232 709
e [email address]
w www.justice.tas.gov.au
Level 14, 110 Collins St, Hobart, TAS 7000 | GPO Box 825, Hobart TAS 7000

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER: This email and any attachments are confidential and may be legally privileged (in which case neither is waived or lost by mistaken delivery). The email and any attachments are intended only for the intended addressee(s). Please notify us by return email if you have received this email and any attachments by mistake, and delete them. If this email and any attachments include advice, that advice is based on, and limited to, the instructions received by the sender. Any unauthorised use of this email and any attachments is expressly prohibited. Any liability in connection with any viruses or other defects in this email and any attachments, is limited to re-supplying this email and any attachments.

show quoted sections

Dear Allan,
Thank you for your reply. I would just like to clarify, As stated, there is no mention of revoked significant relationship.
What would the marital status be in the following cases:

A person who has never married but was in significant relationship but the relationship was
revoked before the person died and has since not entered in another significant/registered relationship or married apart from the one revoked before death.

A person who was divorced but was in significant relationship but the relationship was
revoked before the person died and has since not entered in another significant/registered relationship or married apart from the one revoked before death.

Yours sincerely,

Nate

deWeys, Allan, Tasmanian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages

Dear Nate,
If a relationship has been revoked then there is no significant relationship. The marital status would state what the person was before they entered into a significant relationship.
Regards,

Allan de Weys | Communications Officer
Office of the Secretary
Department of Justice

p (03) 6165 4889
m 0448 232 709
e [email address]
w www.justice.tas.gov.au
Level 14, 110 Collins St, Hobart, TAS 7000 | GPO Box 825, Hobart TAS 7000

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER: This email and any attachments are confidential and may be legally privileged (in which case neither is waived or lost by mistaken delivery). The email and any attachments are intended only for the intended addressee(s). Please notify us by return email if you have received this email and any attachments by mistake, and delete them. If this email and any attachments include advice, that advice is based on, and limited to, the instructions received by the sender. Any unauthorised use of this email and any attachments is expressly prohibited. Any liability in connection with any viruses or other defects in this email and any attachments, is limited to re-supplying this email and any attachments.

show quoted sections

Dear Allan,

Thank you for your reply. Just to clarify more, so in the event of a person being single, widow, or divorced right before entering the significant relationship,

would the exact words/phrase on the death certificate be

Marital status:single
Marital status: widow
Marital status :divorced.

Please confirm the the actual phrase and wording used on the marriage/death certificate in relation to Marital status. Is the phrase used is 'Marital status' or another phrase is used to mean the same.

Further, is there any legislation/manual used by Births Deaths Marriages which governs the entry of such status on marriage/death.
Particularly, in relation to
"If a relationship has been revoked then there is no significant relationship. The marital status would state what the person was before they entered into a significant relationship".

Thank you
Nate.