Clause 16

by inserting, immediately after section 9, the following section:“Name of child9A.—

The name of a child to be entered in a register of births in respect of the registration of the child’s birth and, where the child’s name in the register is to be altered, the child’s altered name to be entered in the register —

must be in a form expressed in characters in the modern English alphabet;

may include a permitted character; and

must not exceed the number of characters permitted in the electronic form of the register for the entry of a name.(2) In subsection (1)(b), “permitted character” means a character that the Registrar‑General, by notification in the Gazette, specifies.”; and

by inserting, immediately after section 12, the following section:“Registrar‑General may refuse entry or alteration of name in register of births12A. The Registrar‑General may refuse the entry or alteration of a child’s name in a register of births under this Act if the name (including the altered name) —

contains anything that represents or resembles a title, a rank or an award;

where the name adopts a patronymic or matronymic naming system to signify lineage, includes any expression or abbreviation (for the purpose of that naming system) that does not correspond to the child’s gender entered or to be entered in the register;

is obscene or offensive; or

is contrary to the public interest.”.