Victorian Consolidated Legislation

Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1996 - SECT 12

Notification of births

12. Notification of births



(1) When a child is born in the State, the responsible person must give notice
of the birth to the Registrar including any particulars required by the
Registrar.

Penalty: 10 penalty units.

(2) Notice under subsection (1) may be given-

   (a)  in writing; or

   (b)  in any other manner approved by the Registrar by notice published in
        the Government Gazette.

(3) The notice must be given-

   (a)  in the case of a child born alive, within 21 days after the birth;

   (b)  in the case of a still-birth, within 48 hours after the birth.

(4) When notice of a still-birth is given, the responsible person must also
give the Registrar a doctor's certificate, in a form approved by the
Registrar, certifying the cause of foetal death.

(5) The doctor's certificate referred to in subsection (4) must be completed
by-

   (a)  the doctor responsible for the professional care of the mother at the
        birth; or

   (b)  a doctor who examined the body of the still-born child after the
        birth.





(6) In this section-

responsible person means-

   (a)  in the case of a child born in a hospital or brought to a hospital
        within 24 hours after birth, the chief executive officer of the
        hospital; or

   (b)  in any other case-

   (i)  the doctor or midwife responsible for the professional care of the
        mother at the birth or a doctor who examined the body of the
        still-born child after the birth; or

   (ii) if no doctor or midwife was in attendance at the birth, any other
        person in attendance at the birth.

Division 2-Registration of births