NSW to keep closer watch on birth registrations after baby cases | Australia news | The GuardianNSW to keep closer watch on birth registrations after baby cases | Australia news | The Guardian










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New South Wales



Abandoned babies prompt NSW to close loopholes in birth registry system









Hospital records to be electronically linked to registry details submitted by parents in effort to flag cases of concern

















Police dig in the sand dunes after children playing at a Sydney beach on November 30, stumbled across the body of a baby buried under the sand. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty



Australian Associated Press


Monday 8 December 2014 22.00 EST







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The New South Wales government has moved to close loopholes in the state’s birth registry system following two recent cases, one where a baby was discovered alive in a drain in north-west Sydney and the other involving a newborn found dead at a beach in the city’s south.
The attorney general, Brad Hazzard, said a new software program, Lifelink, would automatically match birth notifications from hospitals with registrations by parents.
Last month a baby boy was pulled alive from a drain in Quakers Hill and a baby girl’s decomposed body was uncovered by children playing at Maroubra beach.
“We are concerned that there may be other babies’ births that haven’t been registered,” Hazzard said.
Under the current system, hospitals have to notify the registry of all births within seven days, but the onus remains on the parents to register their baby within 60 days.
LifeLink, to be introduced next year, will provide a more consistent approach to registering a birth.
It would also be a cross-reference for parents who may forget, or deliberately not register, the birth of a child.
A taskforce has been set up to improve communication between authorities on births in NSW.
“We’re trying to make sure we get the various agencies working together to help assist parents in what can be a challenging time,” Hazzard said.
“It’s about getting the system working better. It’s certainly not about penalising mums [or] dads.”
The two recent baby cases have sparked debate about the need for baby hatches. In China and Germany the hatches allow parents to leave newborns where they can be looked after and even adopted.
“The issue around what other steps beyond registration of the birth is a matter for others not me as the attorney general,” Hazzard said.
The mother of the baby found in the drain has been charged with attempted murder, while authorities have not yet tracked down the mother of the baby whose body was found at the beach.



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