Nauru selects Adelaide Software House to supply Births Deaths and Marriages Registry Software

The Republic of Nauru has selected Adelaide headquartered software house Promadis to supply the IT system that will help manage its births deaths and marriages (BDM) registry.

With implementation of the new software having been completed in late January of this year, the Pacific island nation’s 10,000 strong population is now assured that all their significant ‘life events’ will be meticulously recorded, managed and maintained.

The initiative also sees Nauru joining South Australia, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory as users of the Promadis BDM system named Raven.

As Nauruan Minister of Finance Kieren Keke explains, “no matter whether one is a large or a small administration, BDM records are of critical importance, as much for members of the population as for the government itself.

“Traditionally, we had maintained our registry using a range of hard copy records and spreadsheets. However, these were somewhat rudimentary and highly inefficient to manage. We wanted to resolve those issues and to also have absolute certainty about accuracy and security. And hence the decision to adopt an IT solution.”

As Promadis CEO Darren Shaw notes, “everyone is touched by the vital record management function of a Registry Office, whether as a result of their own family genealogy or through the decisions made as a result of accumulated population statistics. As a cornerstone of ‘proof of identity’, vital records and the verification of certificate information are also a vital part of a society’s framework and security.

“No matter the use, the need for accurate, reliable and efficient maintenance of vital records is essential. Both in fulfilling legislative obligations as well as in minimizing the budgets associated with running the registry.

Mr Shaw adds that the way Raven will be used in Nauru will enable the country to do more with its BDM database than in many other locales.

“In Australia, for example, a person might be born in one State, married in another and die in a third. In such an instance, records would be spread across three administrations. And similarly where any such ‘life event’ took place overseas.

“The Nauruan objective is to maintain complete records for all of its citizens irrespective of where those births, marriages and deaths took place.”

The acquisition and installation of Nauru’s BDM software was financially assisted by the Australian Government’s AusAid program.