Tuesday the 10th of September 2024
Victorian Legislative Council
RACHEL PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan): My question is for the Minister for Government Services Minister Williams in the other place. Recent reports that this government is investigating the potential privatisation of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria are deeply alarming. These records hold some of our most essential personal information. They show us we exist, when we pass away, if we have children and if we marry. The preservation of these records is essential. There are serious consequences of any potential privatisation regardless of whether it will be called a joint public–private partnership. It will impact privacy, costs and service delivery. Public services should remain in public hands. If the government is not obligated to protect the records of its citizens, what obligations does it have? So my question is: will the minister advocate to ensure that Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria will not be privatised in any way under this government?
JACLYN SYMES (Northern Victoria, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services): I thank Ms Payne for her question. As she has correctly identified, this is a matter for the Minister for Government Services, but I can certainly provide some information in relation to confirming that Victoria’s births, deaths and marriages service will not be privatised. But given the importance of this service, we are certainly looking to improve the quality of the government services. There have been lots of questions in this chamber over previous years, particularly when I was responsible, about concerns about the adequacy of the service, and there has been an acknowledgement in government that we need to have that improved. That is certainly an endeavour on behalf of Minister Williams, but she will provide further detail for you. I can certainly confirm that there is no privatisation on the books that will begin.
RACHEL PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan): I thank the Attorney for passing the question on and for providing some response there. By way of supplementary, this proposal would give other enterprises direct access to some of our most sensitive personal data. So I ask: what is this government planning to do to protect the data stored by Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria?
JACLYN SYMES (Northern Victoria, Attorney-General, Minister for Emergency Services): I thank Ms Payne for her supplementary question. I do confirm the information I provided to you in response to your first question, but I am sure Minister Williams will be happy to provide much greater detail to respond to the issues that you have raised.
Written response, Provided 10th of September 2024:
I thank the member for her question.
We know how important it is to ensure that these services are responsive and accessible for Victorians during these significant periods of their lives.
The Allan Labor Government is always looking at ways to improve services to meet the needs of Victorians and this is no different with BDM. In the last 12 months, call wait times have reduced by 90 per cent, time taken to receive certificates has decreased by 2 weeks, birth registration turnaround times have decreased by 5 weeks and marriage registrations have decreased by one week and are continuing to go down.
Gabrielle Williams MP
Minister for Government Services
