Every birth, death, marriage, adoption, legitimation and still birth occurring in New South Wales must be notified to the Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages. Statute and administrative directions prescribe the information to be supplied and the people obliged or permitted to supply it. The statutes which regulate the powers and functions of the Registry are the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages Act 1973 and the Notification of Births Act 1915. Other legislation also has an impact on the work of the Registry. In preparing this paper the Commission has had regard as well to provisions in the following Acts: Coroners Act 1980, Children (Equality of Status) Act 1976, Artificial Conception Act 1984, Adoption of Children Act 1965, Evidence Act 1898, Marriage Act 1961 (Cth). The Principal Registrar has provided information about the internal directions he has given to his staff.

Once recorded, the bulk of the Registry's information is available to departments of both the State and Federal governments. Plans are well in hand to install a modern computer system at the Registry. At present information is supplied to some departments (the Australian Bureau of Statistics, for example) on computer tapes or print-outs, but when the new system is operating the possibility will exist of on-line computer access being made available to these bodies. Thus, few of the details notified to the Registry can be regarded as entirely confidential, although before releasing the information the Principal Registrar obtains assurances as to confidentiality and destruction or safe storage of the information. Individuals may obtain information from the Registry by showing a sufficient reason for their interest in any registered event. The information is supplied on certificates or extracts of births, deaths and marriages.