September 23, 2016
Artwork by former Cherbourg resident Charlie Chambers features on a new limited edition birth certificate design unveiled by the State Government this week.
Two “Deadly Choices” birth certificate designs were launched by Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath and are designed to encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents to register the birth of their children.
The certificates have been developed as the result of a partnership between Queensland’s Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health.
The two designs, by Charlie Chambers and Christine Slabb, also pay homage to the Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast Titans.
From next week, the certificates will be available to parents through IUIH’s member network of 18 community health services in south-east Queensland.
Children aged up to five years old who are patients at one of clinics and who are up-to-date with their health checks and vaccinations will be offered the commemorative package along with a limited edition onesie.
Mrs D’Ath said she hoped birth registrations would increase as a result of the initiative.
“By tapping into the hugely successful Deadly Choices campaign and making it available to children up to five years old, we are hoping to pick up children who may not yet have had their birth registered, and make sure they have a birth certificate available to use in time for them to enrol in school,” she said.
“Even if a child’s birth has been registered, it can sometimes still be hard to get a birth certificate down the track.”
