Aboriginal people in the Maitland area who don’t have a birth certificate will get the chance to order one of the vital documents on Monday, May 30.
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Pathfinders Aboriginal Birth Certificate Program will be held from 10am to 3pm at Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council, at Chelmsford Drive, Metford.
The program comes as data shows that an estimated 300,000 Australians have not had their birth registered and about 500,000 do not have a birth certificate.
A statement from Pathfinders said many people without birth certificates struggled to fully participate in society.
The document is needed for many mainstream services such as opening a bank account, joining a sporting club, enrolling for school, applying for a job or driver’s licence, or voting.
The Pathfinders program aims to redress the issue through birth certificate sign-up days.
About 1000 people have received a birth certificate through the program since it began.
Another birth certificate sign-up session will be held on Tuesday, at Singleton Youth Venue, on the corner of Pitt Street and Bathurst Street, between 10am and 3pm.
