Australia, Nigeria announce moves to ease digital birth registration

Governments in Australia and Nigeria are working on digital birth registration to make it easier for parents to qualify their children for government services and enroll them in school. Australia is changing the agency responsible for its digital birth certificate program, and Nigeria is getting help from UNICEF.

The Australian government has announced changes to its digital birth certificate program. In a move aimed at streamlining efforts and improving efficiency, the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) has been stripped of its responsibilities for “life event” services, including the development and implementation of digital birth certificates, which shifted to Services Australia last month.

The overhaul comes as part of a broader strategy to decentralize the management of digital identity services. The transition will see the functions transferred to state jurisdictions and other specialized entities better equipped to handle these services at a local level.

“Australia needs innovative government services, and this initiative is a huge step in the right direction. We are making it easier for parents to access government support during one of the most important moments of their lives,” says MP Bill Shorten, minister for government services.

“Parents shouldn’t have to deal with multiple government agencies when registering the birth of their newborn baby which is why we’re introducing a ‘tell us once’ approach.”

The Albanese government is facing criticism for slowing down reforms for “life event” services after it was revealed that a proposal to reinvigorate the project was not funded. Although the government chose not to fund specific life events work, it did ensure continued support for myGov and increased funding for the Commonwealth’s digital identity system, which is expected to become the primary access point for integrated services and information.

Support for digital birth certificates strong in NSW

In parallel with these developments, the New South Wales (NSW) government has published findings from its community consultation on digital birth certificates. The report, released through the “Have Your Say” platform, highlights the community’s feedback on privacy, security, and accessibility. Insights in the report indicate strong public support for digital birth certificates, provided that security measures are in place to protect sensitive personal information.

As part of the pilot program before full-scale rollout, over 18,000 children received a digital birth record. Participation was optional, and parents or guardians were able to submit applications at no cost. With the pilot program now closed, the digital birth certificate site states that the product will be available by late 2024 for people born in NSW.

The NSW government is now focused on addressing these concerns as it moves forward with its digital identity projects, investing millions in digital identity.

Nigeria and UNICEF launch digital registration in 5 states

Nigeria is not yet issuing digital birth certificates, but is moving the birth registration process online in an attempt to boost its civil registration totals.

UNICEF, in collaboration with the Nigerian government, is set to launch a digital birth registration program in five states by the end of the month. The digital birth registration will be rolled out before the end of July, Independent reports. They are targeting more than 928,000 registrations across the five states.

Free universal birth registration is part of UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.9, and a UN official says improved birth registration will also help the government and UN track progress towards other SDGs.

The same civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) platform, operated by the National Population Commission (NPC) will be used to register births, marriages and divorces, death and other life events.

UNICEF Child Protection Specialist Denis Onoise says the digital process is intended to make registration faster. An article from the organization says that there are estimated to be 15 million unregistered children under 5 years old in Nigeria, but also suggests that the integration of birth registration with routine childhood immunization has “proved to be a game-changer, especially in rural areas where access to formal birth registration services may be limited.”

Article Topics

Australia  |  biometrics  |  birth registration  |  digital identity  |  government services  |  New South Wales (NSW)  |  Nigeria  |  UNICEF