Northern Metropolitan Region
Samantha RATNAM (Northern Metropolitan) (12:47): (345) My question is for the Attorney-General. Recently several constituents have contacted me regarding unreasonably long delays with Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria. Andrew is a constituent of mine from Docklands who recently lost his mother. His mother’s death certificate had a typo, which Andrew has been told will take three months to rectify. A delay on a death certificate is not a small inconvenience; it delays every other task that needs to be done after a death. Without a valid death certificate Andrew has not even been able to redirect his mother’s mail. Andrew’s experience is not unique. Another constituent of mine, Hussam from Craigieburn, is expecting a child with his wife. Upon contacting the registry, he was told there is no guarantee his newborn would be issued a birth certificate within six weeks, meaning Hussam will need to cancel a trip to visit his in-laws and introduce them to their new grandchild. People are being forced to put their lives on hold waiting for simple documentation. Attorney-General, why are there still such extreme delays at Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria?