Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1996

When a child is born in the State, the responsible person must give written notice of the birth to the Registrar including the particulars required by regulation. Maximum penalty: $1 250.

The notice must be given—

in the case of a child born alive—within 7 days after birth;

in the case of a still-birth—within 48 hours after birth.

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

the Registrar; and

the funeral director or other person who will be arranging for the disposal of the human remains. Maximum penalty: $1 250.

The certificate must be completed by the doctor 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.

In this section—

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

in other cases—the doctor or midwife responsible for the professional care of the mother at the birth.