Australian Capital Territory Current Acts

BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES REGISTRATION ACT 1997 - SECT 51

    (1)     The registrar-general may confiscate—

        (a)     an instrument that purports to have been made for this Act or the repealed Act if the registrar-general believes, on reasonable grounds, that the instrument has a forged impression of the registrar-general's signature or seal or is forged or falsified; or

        (b)     a certificate under this Act or the repealed Act about a registrable event if the entry in the register about the event has been cancelled or corrected since the issue of the certificate.

    (2)     If the registrar-general believes on reasonable grounds that a person has in the person's possession a certificate or other instrument mentioned in subsection (1), the registrar-general may—

        (a)     require the person to surrender the certificate or document immediately to the registrar-general; or

        (b)     by written notice sent to the person, require the person to surrender the certificate or document to the registrar-general within 14 days of the date of the notice.

Note     For how documents may be served, see the Legislation Act

, pt 19.5.

    (3)     A person commits an offence if the person fails to comply with a requirement made of the person, or a notice given to the person, under subsection (2).

Maximum penalty: 50 penalty units, imprisonment for 6 months or both.

Note     The Legislation Act

, s 170 and s 171 deals with the application of the privilege against self-incrimination and client legal privilege.