Thousands of children may be missing out on early childhood education and care (ECEC) because they do not have a birth certificate, according to a new report by UNICEF Australia.
The ‘Certify Hope: Rights from the Start’ report is the first-time unregistered births have been measured and analysed nationally, with the data revealing that, each year (on average), 12,600 Australian children could be missing out on the foundations of early development because their births are not registered in time.
“Making sure young children get early education and care is one of the most effective ways to ensure they develop and thrive in the future,” says UNICEF Australia’s Head of Policy and Advocacy Katie Maskiell.
“Unfortunately for some children, not having a birth certificate is a barrier to early education and care, as a birth certificate is normally needed to enrol in these programs.”
Many children impacted by the lack of a birth certificate have other factors of disadvantage at play, and not having a birth certificate continues to create barriers that risk exacerbating future disadvantage.
“Taking the simple step of making sure every Australian child has a birth certificate will ensure families have better access to services and supports they may need,” says Maskiell.
Call to make birth certificates more affordable
UNICEF Australia is calling on the Federal Government to ensure the birth registration of every child in Australia.
This call includes asking the Government to collaborate with States and Territories to make birth certificates more affordable and ensure adequate support for parents who may already be experiencing strain to fulfil the birth registration requirements.
Birth certificates cost between $50-$70 per child depending on the State or Territory in which they are registered. For parents who are separated, who do not hold enough identification themselves, or those who have become informal kinship guardians, the requirements for registration can be challenging.
AS cost-of-living pressures rise, the cost associated with birth certificates can be especially difficult for those already struggling to feed and support a young family.
According to the report, children most impacted were:
- living in remote or disadvantaged areas
- babies in remote or disadvantaged areas were around three times more likely than other children to not have their birth registered in the first year of life (10.9 per cent compared to 3.8 per cent)
- these factors combined impacted around one in five children (19.3 per cent) whose births were not registered before their first birthday
- born to mothers under 25 years of age
- these babies were almost four times more likely to not be registered before their first birthday (11.8 per cent), than babies to older mothers
- more than one in five babies (20.7 per cent) born in remote areas to young mothers did not have their births registered before their first birthday
- Indigenous
- 17 per cent of Indigenous births were not registered before their first birthday
- this figure increased to impact more than 1 in 5 Indigenous babies when combined with other factors such as living in a remote (22 per cent) or disadvantaged (21 per cent) area.
Impact on Indigenous families
Over the past 18 months, UNICEF Australia has been speaking with families impacted by this issue, with its partner Pathfinders at National Aboriginal Birth Certificate Program events where people can seek assistance to access their birth certificate.
“It’s been a real struggle to get any of their birth certificates and it’s held us back with childcare,” says Monique, a mother living in regional Queensland.
She’s been impacted by the complexities of registering her child’s birth because she did not have her children’s father’s identification documents or her own birth certificate.
“I haven’t been able to get my son into most of our local early education centres and my youngest daughter has been unable to attend one too. To be able to get a birth certificate, you need a birth certificate, which is a bit complicated.”
It’s also a cost issue for Queensland mother Tegan and her family.
“$54 for a birth certificate…when I’ve got five kids to feed…that’s one meal for them, gone on something that I can’t generally afford, but I need it…”.
Cost-of-living pressures make issue worse
Maskiell says each of these stories highlights the challenges families face – pressures made worse by rising living costs.
“UNICEF believes every baby born has the right to basic identity information and the opportunity for early learning, and this must be affordable for every family,” Maskell says.
“We know the cost of living is exacerbating disadvantage in Australia at the moment and we cannot let children continue to bear this cost throughout their lives.
“The Report shows affordable birth certificates and better support services for parents who need them can make a difference in setting Australian children up to thrive.”
