Parents may find it easier to register and enrol their newborn in services like Medicare after a new system is rolled out in Canberra hospitals today.
The trial, using myGov, is aimed at reducing the need to enter same birth details multiple times to apply for health services including the Medicare Safety Net, My Health Record and the Australian Immunisation Register.
Additionally, parents will no longer have to confirm the birth of their baby for the purposes of Centrelink family assistance claims once the birth is registered.
Parents will be able to use the myGov website to record birth information with the ACT Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
The Australia-first joint trial by the federal and ACT governments was introduced as parents were believed to be interacting with various government agencies up to seven times to enter the same information.
The digital service, expected to save an average of 30 minutes of paperwork, was also aimed at reducing the risk of mistakes and making sure information is consistent across agencies.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said the trial was innovative and a "huge step" in the right direction.
"We are making it easier for parents to access government support during one of the most important moments of their lives," he said.
"Parents shouldn't have to deal with multiple government agencies when registering the birth of their newborn baby which is why we're introducing a 'tell us once' approach."
The trial system is active at Woden's Centenary Hospital for Women and Children and North Canberra Hospital in Bruce.
Providing more online services through secure data sharing was an example of governments collaborating on important life events, ACT's Special Minister of State Chris Steel said.
He said the pilot trial would give back time to new parents so could focus on their newborn.
"This new system means spending less time filling out all the required forms whilst still gaining access to important healthcare and other services from birth," he added.
ACT's Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith said the two Canberra hospitals were one of four in Australia that would participate in the initial roll out.
Both governments are working with other state and territory governments to roll out the trial in stages nationally.
