Keep up with progress on BDMRR Bill Sandra

National MP, Sandra Goudie needs to keep up with progress on the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Amendment Bill according to Internal Affairs Minister, Rick Barker.

"Her public statement today shows she is either willingly misleading the public and playing politics with important legislation, or that she is unable to keep up with her Select Committee workload," said Mr Barker.

"In her statement she refers comments made by Sir Geoffrey Palmer. However, these comments were based on the first draft of the Bill and were made before I wrote to the Select Committee proposing amendments to the Bill last month.

"My proposed changes seek to address concerns about allowing legitimate public access to information held by the Births, Deaths and Marriages registry - while still protecting private and personal information from abuse, by;

• requiring applicants for certificates and printouts to present adequate identification,
• creating an ‘access register’ so people can find out who has accessed their records,
• and enabling a person to request that their records not be disclosed to the public.

"You would think Mrs Goudie would be aware of this – given that she sits on the Government Administration Select Committee which is currently considering the Bill.

"I stated from the outset that I would consider all workable suggestions that sought to strike an appropriate balance between protecting the right to privacy and the need for legitimate access to the register.

"I would like to thank the interested parties and members of the Select Committee who have engaged meaningfully and contributed to the development of the Bill so far, including my Parliamentary colleagues Keith Locke and Hon Peter Dunne.

"Contrary to what Mrs Goudie says, New Zealanders are concerned about identity theft. A 2006 survey conducted by Unisys found that 52% of Kiwis were very concerned about unauthorised access or misuse of their personal information, and a 2006 KPMG survey reported that 61%of respondents believed identity theft was a major problem for businesses.

"Doing nothing to prevent identity fraud might be an option for Mrs Goudie and National, but this Labour-led government takes protecting the personal information of individuals and families seriously," Mr Barker said.

ENDS

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