Australia Birth, Marriage, and Death Records – Civil Registration

Prior to civil registration in Australia, baptisms, weddings and burials were recorded by the churches. After civil registration began, many church records were kept in local custody. Others are found in state repositories and church archives.

Civil registration of births, deaths and marriages was introduced at different times in each colony/state and territory:

Tasmania – 1 December 1838
Western Australia – 9 September 1841
South Australia – 1 July 1842
Victoria – 1 July 1853
New South Wales – 1 March 1856
Queensland – 1 March 1856 – *Note 1
Northern Territory -24 August 1870 – **Note 2
Australian Capital Territory – 1 January 1930 – ***Note 3

* Note 1: Civil registration commenced in Queensland when it was still part of the Colony of New South Wales. The relevant records were transferred to the control of the new Colony of Queensland at its formation in 1859.

** Note 2: Civil registration began in the Northern Territory when it was administered from Adelaide. Responsibility was taken over by the Commonwealth from South Australia in 1911. The function was transferred to the Northern Territory Government in 1978 when internal self-government was granted.

*** Note 3: Civil registration began in the Australian Capital Territory from the creation of the Territory. At first, the function was carried out by New South Wales until 1930 when the Commonwealth took over. In 1988, the function was transferred to the Government of the Australian Capital Territory when internal self-government was granted.

There was no common standard for recording information when civil registration initially began, consequently content may differ from state to state. More information is generally recorded in later records.

Birth records may provide the following information:

Name of Child
Date of Birth
Place of Birth
Sex of the child
Name of father
Age, birthplace, and occupation of father
First name and maiden name of mother
Age and birthplace of mother
Place and year of marriage of parents
Name, relationship, description, and residence of informant

Marriage records may provide the following information:

Names of the bride and groom
Occupations and places of residence of both parties
Ages and places of birth of both parties
Marital status prior to the marriage
Date and place of marriage
Name of clergyman and denomination
Names of witnesses
Surnames and forenames of parents
Occupation of parents

Death records may provide the following information:

Name of deceased
Date of Death
Place of Death
Occupation, age, and sex of deceased
Place of birth
Place and date of marriage of deceased
Name of spouse
Length of residence in Australia and in what colonies, states, and territories
Names and ages of living children of deceased
Name and occupation of father
Maiden surname of mother
Cause of death and duration of last illness
Name of medical practitioner
Date and place of burial
Religion and name of minister or witness
Name of informant
Residence and relationship or description of informant

Each of the States in Australia has created indexes to their civil registration records, most of which can be found online:

NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages

Queensland Births, Deaths, Marriages

South Australia Births, Deaths and Marriages

Tasmania Births, Deaths & Marriages

Victoria Births Deaths and Marriages

Western Australia Births, Deaths & Marriages

Online Australia Death Notice Index – The Ryerson Index

The Ryerson Index is a free index to death notices appearing in Australian newspapers. The date range covered extends from the Sydney Gazette of 1803 up to newspapers published within the last week or so. The Index also includes many funeral notices, and some probate notices and obituaries.