Birth/death certificates

Nate made this Freedom of Information request to NT Office of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths & 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, NT Office of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths & Marriages should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Dear NT Office of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths & 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 NT Registrar 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).

Yours faithfully,

Nate

NT Office of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths & Marriages

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Sent request to NT Office of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths & Marriages again, using a new contact address.

Irini Parimeros, NT Office of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths & Marriages

Good morning Nate,

Thank you for your email. I will need to put this forward to the Registrar for a decision. Could you please tell me the reason you need this information and sample certificates?

Kind Regards,
Irini Parimeros
Senior Registration Officer
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of the Attorney-General and Justice   
Northern Territory Government

Ground Floor, Cnr Cavenagh & Bennett Streets
GPO Box 3021, Darwin NT 0801

Ph: (08) 8999 6972

Email: [email address]
Web:   https://nt.gov.au/law/bdm

The information in the email is intended solely for the addressee named. It may contain legally privileged or confidential information that is subject to copyright. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or distribute this communication. If you have received this message in error, please delete the email and notify the sender. Use or transmittal of the information in this email other than for authorised NT Government business purposes may constitute misconduct under the NT Public Sector Code of Conduct and could potentially be an offence under the NT Criminal Code. No representation is made that this email is free of viruses. Virus scanning is recommended and is the responsibility of the recipient.

-----Original Message-----

-----Original Message-----
From: Nate <[FOI #6058 email]>
Sent: Saturday, 4 January 2020 5:46 PM
To: AGD Registrar General <[email address]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Birth/death certificates

Dear NT Office of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths & 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 NT Registrar 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).

Yours faithfully,

Nate

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Dear Irini Parimeros,

Thank you for your information. I am interested in knowing the kinds of marital status assigned by the registrar on official documents such as marriage/death.

Sample certificates would be to see the format of information.

Yours sincerely,

Nate

Irini Parimeros, NT Office of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths & Marriages

Hi Nate,

The Deputy Registrar would like to speak to you on the phone about this, could you please provide a phone number and I will get her to call you.

Kind Regards,
Irini Parimeros
Senior Registration Officer
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of the Attorney-General and Justice   
Northern Territory Government

Ground Floor, Cnr Cavenagh & Bennett Streets
GPO Box 3021, Darwin NT 0801

Ph: (08) 8999 6972

Email: [email address]
Web:   https://nt.gov.au/law/bdm

The information in the email is intended solely for the addressee named. It may contain legally privileged or confidential information that is subject to copyright. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or distribute this communication. If you have received this message in error, please delete the email and notify the sender. Use or transmittal of the information in this email other than for authorised NT Government business purposes may constitute misconduct under the NT Public Sector Code of Conduct and could potentially be an offence under the NT Criminal Code. No representation is made that this email is free of viruses. Virus scanning is recommended and is the responsibility of the recipient.

-----Original Message-----
From: Nate <[FOI #6058 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 7 January 2020 10:33 AM
To: Irini Parimeros <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Birth/death certificates

Dear Irini Parimeros,

Thank you for your information. I am interested in knowing the kinds of marital status assigned by the registrar on official documents such as marriage/death.

Sample certificates would be to see the format of information.

Yours sincerely,

Nate

-----Original Message-----

Good morning Nate,

Thank you for your email. I will need to put this forward to the Registrar for a decision. Could you please tell me the reason you need this information and sample certificates?

Kind Regards,
Irini Parimeros
Senior Registration Officer
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of the Attorney-General and Justice Northern Territory Government

Ground Floor, Cnr Cavenagh & Bennett Streets GPO Box 3021, Darwin NT 0801

Ph: (08) 8999 6972

Email: [email address]
Web:   https://nt.gov.au/law/bdm

The information in the email is intended solely for the addressee named. It may contain legally privileged or confidential information that is subject to copyright. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or distribute this communication. If you have received this message in error, please delete the email and notify the sender. Use or transmittal of the information in this email other than for authorised NT Government business purposes may constitute misconduct under the NT Public Sector Code of Conduct and could potentially be an offence under the NT Criminal Code. No representation is made that this email is free of viruses. Virus scanning is recommended and is the responsibility of the recipient.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #6058 email]

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

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hide quoted sections

Dear Irini Parimeros,

Thank you for the email. I prefer to have the information clarified via email. This is via righttoknow.org.au website.

Yours sincerely,

Nate

Wendy Endenburg, NT Office of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths & Marriages

Hi Nate

It is quite difficult to explain in an email but I will attempt to. If you wish clarification you will have to contact me.

We do not provide sample certificates without a complete explanation as to what the use would be for. As you know identify fraud is very common and sample certificates are not issued to the general public. The Registrar-General approves any request and will not do so without a very valid reason. The Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages is a closed register which means you cannot access our information by a freedom of information request.

We can certainly provide you with the tick boxes for options of marital status that are provided on the death registration statement and Notice of Intended Marriage Form if this will assist.

Wendy Endenburg
Senior Deputy Registrar-General
 Registrar-General’s Office
Department of the Attorney-General and Justice
Northern Territory Government
Nichols Place Cnr Cavenagh & Bennett Streets
GPO Box 3021, Darwin  NT  0801
Phone: (08) 8999 5318
Fax:      (08) 8999 6239
Email: [email address]
Website: www.nt.gov.au/justice

Our Vision: Creating a public sector that provides the highest quality service to Territorians
Our Values: Commitment to Service  |  Ethical Practice  |  Respect  |  Accountability  |  Impartiality  |  Diversity

The information in the email is intended solely for the addressee named. It may contain legally privileged or confidential information that is subject to copyright. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or distribute this communication. If you have received this message in error, please delete the email and notify the sender. Use or transmittal of the information in this email other than for authorised NT Government business purposes may constitute misconduct under the NT Public Sector Code of Conduct and could potentially be an offence under the NT Criminal Code. No representation is made that this email is free of viruses. Virus scanning is recommended and is the responsibility of the recipient

-----Original Message-----
From: Irini Parimeros <[email address]>
Sent: Tuesday, 7 January 2020 11:19 AM
To: Wendy Endenburg <[email address]>
Subject: FW: Freedom of Information request - Birth/death certificates

Kind Regards,
Irini Parimeros
Senior Registration Officer
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of the Attorney-General and Justice Northern Territory Government

Ground Floor, Cnr Cavenagh & Bennett Streets GPO Box 3021, Darwin NT 0801

Ph: (08) 8999 6972

Email: [email address]
Web:   https://nt.gov.au/law/bdm

The information in the email is intended solely for the addressee named. It may contain legally privileged or confidential information that is subject to copyright. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or distribute this communication. If you have received this message in error, please delete the email and notify the sender. Use or transmittal of the information in this email other than for authorised NT Government business purposes may constitute misconduct under the NT Public Sector Code of Conduct and could potentially be an offence under the NT Criminal Code. No representation is made that this email is free of viruses. Virus scanning is recommended and is the responsibility of the recipient.

-----Original Message-----
From: Nate <[FOI #6058 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 7 January 2020 11:16 AM
To: Irini Parimeros <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Birth/death certificates

Dear Irini Parimeros,

Thank you for the email. I prefer to have the information clarified via email. This is via righttoknow.org.au website.

Yours sincerely,

Nate

-----Original Message-----

Hi Nate,

The Deputy Registrar would like to speak to you on the phone about this, could you please provide a phone number and I will get her to call you.

Kind Regards,
Irini Parimeros
Senior Registration Officer
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of the Attorney-General and Justice Northern Territory Government

Ground Floor, Cnr Cavenagh & Bennett Streets GPO Box 3021, Darwin NT 0801

Ph: (08) 8999 6972

Email: [email address]
Web:   https://nt.gov.au/law/bdm

The information in the email is intended solely for the addressee named. It may contain legally privileged or confidential information that is subject to copyright. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or distribute this communication. If you have received this message in error, please delete the email and notify the sender. Use or transmittal of the information in this email other than for authorised NT Government business purposes may constitute misconduct under the NT Public Sector Code of Conduct and could potentially be an offence under the NT Criminal Code. No representation is made that this email is free of viruses. Virus scanning is recommended and is the responsibility of the recipient.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #6058 email]

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

hide quoted sections

Dear Wendy Endenburg,

Thank you once again for your prompt reply. I totally understand your concerns around identity fraud.

Certainly the tick box options provided on the Death
registration statement /Notice of intended form will help.

A sample certificate is not required. Only a confirmation of the information that is printed there in relation to marital status- such a all possible marital status that can ever be listed and the phrase used before such status.

Yours sincerely,

Nate

Irini Parimeros, NT Office of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths & Marriages

Hi Nate,

The marital status options on the death registration statement are:
- Never Married
- Married
- Divorced
- Widowed
- Separated
- De facto
- Tribally Married
- Tribally Married now Widowed
- Divorced now De facto
- Widowed now De facto
- Separated now De facto
- Unknown

The marital status options for the Notice of Intended Marriage are:
- Never validly married
- Widowed
- Divorced

Kind Regards,
Irini Parimeros
Senior Registration Officer
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Department of the Attorney-General and Justice   
Northern Territory Government

Ground Floor, Cnr Cavenagh & Bennett Streets
GPO Box 3021, Darwin NT 0801

Ph: (08) 8999 6972

Email: [email address]
Web:   https://nt.gov.au/law/bdm

The information in the email is intended solely for the addressee named. It may contain legally privileged or confidential information that is subject to copyright. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or distribute this communication. If you have received this message in error, please delete the email and notify the sender. Use or transmittal of the information in this email other than for authorised NT Government business purposes may constitute misconduct under the NT Public Sector Code of Conduct and could potentially be an offence under the NT Criminal Code. No representation is made that this email is free of viruses. Virus scanning is recommended and is the responsibility of the recipient.

-----Original Message-----
From: Nate <[FOI #6058 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 7 January 2020 11:49 AM
To: Wendy Endenburg <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Birth/death certificates

Dear Wendy Endenburg,

Thank you once again for your prompt reply. I totally understand your concerns around identity fraud.

Certainly the tick box options provided on the Death registration statement /Notice of intended form will help.

A sample certificate is not required. Only a confirmation of the information that is printed there in relation to marital status- such a all possible marital status that can ever be listed and the phrase used before such status.

Yours sincerely,

Nate

-----Original Message-----

Hi Nate

It is quite difficult to explain in an email but I will attempt to. If you wish clarification you will have to contact me.

We do not provide sample certificates without a complete explanation as to what the use would be for. As you know identify fraud is very common and sample certificates are not issued to the general public. The Registrar-General approves any request and will not do so without a very valid reason. The Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages is a closed register which means you cannot access our information by a freedom of information request.

We can certainly provide you with the tick boxes for options of marital status that are provided on the death registration statement and Notice of Intended Marriage Form if this will assist.

Wendy Endenburg
Senior Deputy Registrar-General
 Registrar-General’s Office
Department of the Attorney-General and Justice Northern Territory Government Nichols Place Cnr Cavenagh & Bennett Streets GPO Box 3021, Darwin  NT  0801
Phone: (08) 8999 5318
Fax:      (08) 8999 6239
Email: [email address]
Website: www.nt.gov.au/justice

Our Vision: Creating a public sector that provides the highest quality service to Territorians Our Values: Commitment to Service  |  Ethical Practice  |  Respect  |  Accountability  |  Impartiality  |  Diversity

The information in the email is intended solely for the addressee named. It may contain legally privileged or confidential information that is subject to copyright. If you are not the intended recipient you must not use, disclose, copy or distribute this communication. If you have received this message in error, please delete the email and notify the sender. Use or transmittal of the information in this email other than for authorised NT Government business purposes may constitute misconduct under the NT Public Sector Code of Conduct and could potentially be an offence under the NT Criminal Code. No representation is made that this email is free of viruses. Virus scanning is recommended and is the responsibility of the recipient

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #6058 email]

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:
https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

hide quoted sections

Dear Irini Parimeros,

Thank you for your reply. I just need to further clarify a few things:
in case of :
- Divorced now De facto
- Widowed now De facto
- Separated now De facto

what Marital status is assigned if the de facto union no longer existed before death and the person has since not entered in another de facto union or married again before death.

In the event of person being under a registered relationship in another state of Australia, what is assigned for the above described scenario and otherwise.

Also, please clarify the meaning of separated status according to NT BDM. Is it( A person who is still married but is not living with his spouse).

Is there a piece of legislation/ operational manual used by BDM which governs which status needs to be put in each scenario?

In addition to marital/death certificates, does the word Marital status appear on other CIVIL status documents issued by the registry? Is there a definition of Marital status NT BDM uses or is there a Marital status register maintained by NT BDM.

Yours sincerely,

Nate

Wendy Endenburg, NT Office of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths & Marriages

Hi Nate

 

Irini has forwarded you email to me for a response.

 

The Births, Deaths and Marriages Office (BDM) is a Registration Office. 
BDM registers life events on the basis of information provided to us by
informants.

 

I note that under Section 49 of the Births, Deaths and Marriages
Registration Act 1996 (the act) it is an offence to make a false or
misleading representation in an application or document under the Act,
knowing it to be false or misleading.  In situations where there is a
dispute about information used to register a life event the Registrar may
require further evidence and potentially obtain legal advice before making
any correction/amendment to the register. The Registrars decision can be
reviewed by the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

 

Please see comments below in red to your specific questions.

 

 

 

Wendy Endenburg

Senior Deputy Registrar-General

 Registrar-General’s Office

Department of the Attorney-General and Justice

Northern Territory Government

Nichols Place Cnr Cavenagh & Bennett Streets

GPO Box 3021, Darwin  NT  0801

Phone: (08) 8999 5318

Fax:      (08) 8999 6239

Email: [email address]

Website: www.nt.gov.au/justice

 

Our Vision: Creating a public sector that provides the highest quality
service to Territorians

Our Values: Commitment to Service  |  Ethical Practice  |  Respect  | 
Accountability  |  Impartiality  |  Diversity

 

The information in the email is intended solely for the addressee named.
It may contain legally privileged or confidential information that is
subject to copyright. If you are not the intended recipient you must not
use, disclose, copy or distribute this communication. If you have received
this message in error, please delete the email and notify the sender. Use
or transmittal of the information in this email other than for authorised
NT Government business purposes may constitute misconduct under the NT
Public Sector Code of Conduct and could potentially be an offence under
the NT Criminal Code. No representation is made that this email is free of
viruses. Virus scanning is recommended and is the responsibility of the
recipient

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Nate <[1][FOI #6058 email]>

Sent: Tuesday, 7 January 2020 6:54 PM

To: Irini Parimeros <[2][email address]>

Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Birth/death certificates

 

Dear Irini Parimeros,

 

Thank you for your reply. I just need to further clarify a few things:

in case of :

- Divorced now De facto

- Widowed now De facto

- Separated now De facto

 

what Marital status is assigned if the de facto union no longer existed
before death and the person has since not entered in another de facto
union or married again before death.

We rely on the information provided by the informant.  The status options
have already been provided to you and the informant selects what they want
the relationship to be described as.

 

 

In the event of person being under a registered relationship in another
state of Australia, what is assigned for the above described scenario and
otherwise

As above.

 

Also, please clarify the meaning of separated status according to NT BDM.
Is it( A person who is still married but is not living with his spouse).

As above.

 

 

Is there a piece of legislation/ operational manual used by BDM which
governs which status needs to be put in each scenario?

No, only the specific registration forms that the informant needs to
complete.  These forms are designed to collect the information required
under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1996 and the
Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Regulations 1996.

 

In addition to marital/death certificates, does the word Marital status
appear on other CIVIL status documents issued by the registry? Is there a
definition of Marital status  NT BDM uses  or is there a Marital status
register maintained by NT BDM.

We have no other Civil status documents.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Nate

 

-----Original Message-----

 

Hi Nate,

 

The marital status options on the death registration statement are:

- Never Married

- Married

- Divorced

- Widowed

- Separated

- De facto

- Tribally Married

- Tribally Married now Widowed

- Divorced now De facto

- Widowed now De facto

- Separated now De facto

- Unknown

 

The marital status options for the Notice of Intended Marriage are:

- Never validly married

- Widowed

- Divorced

 

Kind Regards,

Irini Parimeros

Senior Registration Officer

Births, Deaths and Marriages

Department of the Attorney-General and Justice Northern Territory
Government

 

Ground Floor, Cnr Cavenagh & Bennett Streets GPO Box 3021, Darwin NT 0801

 

Ph: (08) 8999 6972

 

Email: [email address]

Web:   [3]https://nt.gov.au/law/bdm

 

The information in the email is intended solely for the addressee named.
It may contain legally privileged or confidential information that is
subject to copyright. If you are not the intended recipient you must not
use, disclose, copy or distribute this communication. If you have received
this message in error, please delete the email and notify the sender. Use
or transmittal of the information in this email other than for authorised
NT Government business purposes may constitute misconduct under the NT
Public Sector Code of Conduct and could potentially be an offence under
the NT Criminal Code. No representation is made that this email is free of
viruses. Virus scanning is recommended and is the responsibility of the
recipient.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[4][FOI #6058 email]

 

This request has been made by an individual using Right to Know. This
message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet.
More information on how Right to Know works can be found at:

[5]https://www.righttoknow.org.au/help/offi...

 

If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.

 

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hide quoted sections

Dear Wendy Endenburg,

Thank you for the information. There is one slight clarification.

In the email, Irini said

Please clarify the meaning of separated status according to NT BDM.

Is it( A person who is still married but is not living with his spouse).

As above.

As above refers to "A person who is still married but is not living with his spouse" .

Yours sincerely,

Nate