BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES RECORDS TO GO ONLINE
Victorians will be able to access birth, death and marriage certificates online under a overhaul of the state’s outdated records system by the Andrews Labor Government.
Attorney-General Martin Pakula today announced the release of the Request for Tender for a new IT system for the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
In a boon for family historians, last-minute overseas travellers and anyone wanting to access their personal records quickly, the 27-year-old system will be replaced by a more efficient one that can meet modern demands.
The registry is seeking bids for a new core business system to replace its obsolete records management system.
The new system will also provide more accurate cross-referencing of records and a better collection and analysis of population data.
The Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages holds about 14 million records and each year adds 77,000 births, 37,000 deaths, 29,000 marriages and 11,000 change-of-name registrations.
The successful respondent to this tender will introduce a new design that will hold all records in one place. This project will include major data migration and further digitising of existing records to enable easier searches.
Quotes attributable to Attorney-General Martin Pakula
“This Request for Tender is a major step in bringing the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages into the modern world.”
“Victorians deserve a consistent, fast digital system for their important records.”
“The current system was built more than 25 years ago, has limited flexibility for online innovation, and is fast approaching full capacity for the storage of documents.”
“Given the volume of data held by Births, Deaths and Marriages, this project is vital to its successful operation into the future.”
Background • The current BDM system, Lifedata 2, is close to the end of its practical use, with storage capacity rapidly approaching its limit. • The Lifedata 1 system was custom built for BDM in 1988, and while an upgrade in 2000 (Lifedata 2) extended its life, it did not merge any of the data predating 2000. As a result, BDM is currently using two data systems. • Both Lifedata 1 and 2 have very limited capability for online innovation and the pool of technical support for this system is limited.