In late October the History Council of NSW expressed its objection to the Attorney-General’s Department about proposed changes to the approved forms made under the Marriage Act 1961 and Marriage Regulations 2017. The first form that is being reviewed is the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) form, with changes to associated marriage forms flowing on from that. The intention is to modernise the forms to reflect a change in marriage regulations, however a draft of the new form shows a reduction the amount of information captured.
As stated in our letter, the HCNSW is greatly concerned about the proposed changes as we feel that a reduction in the amount of information recorded in conjunction with registration of marriages will impact the practice and outcomes of future researchers relying on information currently available on Births, Marriages and Deaths.
We believe that this information is of significant value to historians and all those studying the structure of the family in Australia. It is also essential information for population health analysis and demographic studies.
We have offered to take part in further consultation about the modernisation of this form.
A copy of our letter can be found here.