Pathfinders and UNICEF partner to give birth certificates in Gunnedah

About 100 people are estimated to be getting a free birth certificate at a face-to-face sign up day in Gunnedah on Tuesday, June 13, at Gunida Gunyah Aboriginal Corporation from 9:30am to 3pm.

Pathfinders, an organisation advocating for disadvantaged communities, also estimates there are 200,000 Aboriginal people in Australia who do not have a birth certificate.

The event is part of Pathfinders National Aboriginal Birth Certificate Program and is in partnership with UNICEF, an organisation which has been working internationally on the issue for 30 years.

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The extent of the reasons why people don't have birth certificates is unknown, UNICEF Australia's head of child rights, policy and advocacy Katie Maskiell said.

It can be expensive to register a child's birth within six weeks after they are born, there are issues with remoteness and access to services and the internet, she said.

Aboriginal people also have a history of distrust of government services and what governments might do with their children's details, she said.

"It's a complex issue," she said.

"We're really there to listen to the people of Gunnedah. We want to know if some of our assumptions are right.

"We're really wanting to hear from people widely around the issues they face so that we can help solve the problem."

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