{"id":"relationships-register-regulations-2017","name":"Relationships Register Regulations 2017","slug":"relationships-register-regulations-2017","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"sa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":236943,"registerId":"sa-relationships-register-regulations-2017-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-06","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Relationships Register Regulations 2017","content":"South Australia\nRelationships Register Regulations 2017\nunder the Relationships Register Act 2016\n\nContents\n1\tShort title\n3\tInterpretation\n4\tEntry of particulars in Register on commencement of registered relationship\n5\tInformation and material accompanying application for revocation of registration\n6\tEntry of particulars in Register on revocation of registration\n7\tCorresponding law registered relationships\nLegislative history\n\n1—Short title\nThese regulations may be cited as the Relationships Register Regulations 2017.\n3—Interpretation\nIn these regulations—\nAct means the Relationships Register Act 2016;\nparent includes—\n\t(a)\tthe mother and father of the child; and\n\t(b)\tthe mother and co‑parent of the child (within the meaning of the Family Relationships Act 1975); and\n\t(c)\tthe parent of a child under an order under section 18 of the Surrogacy Act 2019.\n4—Entry of particulars in Register on commencement of registered relationship\nFor the purposes of section 8(2) of the Act, the particulars that are required to be entered in the Register are—\n\t(a)\tin respect of each person in the relationship—\n\t(i)\tthe person's name; and\n\t(ii)\tthe person's occupation; and\n\t(iii)\tthe person's principal place of residence; and\n\t(iv)\tthe person's date and place of birth; and\n\t(v)\tthe name of the person's parents; and\n\t(b)\tthe date on which the entry relating to the relationship is made in the Register.\n5—Information and material accompanying application for revocation of registration\n\t(1)\tFor the purposes of section 10(2)(b) of the Act—\n\t(a)\tnotice of the application to revoke the registration of a relationship must be served by the applicant on the other person in the relationship—\n\t(i)\tpersonally; or\n\t(ii)\tby leaving the notice for the person at the person's last known residential address or with someone apparently over the age of 16 years at that address; and\n\t(b)\tproof of service of the notice must be provided to the Registrar in the form of a statutory declaration setting out—\n\t(i)\tthe name of the person served; and\n\t(ii)\tthe method of service; and\n\t(iii)\tthe time and date of service.\n\t(2)\tFor the purposes of section 10(2)(d) of the Act, an application to revoke the registration of a relationship must be accompanied by the following information in relation to each person in the relationship:\n\t(a)\tthe person's name;\n\t(b)\tthe person's date and place of birth;\n\t(c)\tthe date on which the relationship was registered under the Act.\n6—Entry of particulars in Register on revocation of registration\nFor the purposes of section 13(1)(c) of the Act—\n\t(a)\tthe date on which the Registrar makes an entry relating to the revocation of a registered relationship must be included in the Register; and\n\t(b)\tthe Registrar must specify the reason the registered relationship ended, whether—\n\t(i)\tbecause it was revoked in accordance with section 12 of the Act; or\n\t(ii)\tby virtue of an event as set out in section 13(1)(a) or (b) of the Act.\n7—Corresponding law registered relationships\nFor the purposes of section 26(1) of the Act, each of the following laws is declared to be a corresponding law:\n\t(a)\tthe Civil Partnerships Act 2011 of Queensland;\n\t(b)\tthe Civil Unions Act 2012 of the Australian Capital Territory;\n\t(c)\tthe Domestic Relationships Act 1994 of the Australian Capital Territory;\n\t(d)\tsection 4 and Part 2 of the Relationships Act 2003 of Tasmania;\n\t(e)\tthe Relationships Act 2008 of Victoria;\n\t(f)\tthe Relationships Register Act 2010 of New South Wales;\n\t(g)\tBook 1 of the Civil Code of Québec, Canada;\n\t(h)\tthe Domestic Relations Law of the State of New York, United States of America;\n\t(i)\tBook 1 of the Dutch Civil Code of the Netherlands;\n\t(j)\tChapter 572 Marriage, Part 1 and Chapter 572B Civil Unions, Hawaii Revised Statutes of the State of Hawaii, United States of America;\n\t(k)\tthe Civil Marriage Act 2005 of Canada;\n\t(l)\tthe Civil Partnership Act 2004 of the United Kingdom;\n\t(m)\tthe Civil Union Act 2004 of New Zealand;\n\t(n)\tthe Civil Union Act 2006 of South Africa;\n\t(o)\tthe Marriage Act 1949 of the United Kingdom;\n\t(p)\tthe Marriage Act 1955 of New Zealand\n\t(q)\tDivision 3 of the Marriage, Family Code of the State of California, United States of America;\n\t(r)\tthe Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 of Scotland;\n\t(s)\tthe Vital Statistics Act, Revised Statutes 1989, c494 of Nova Scotia, Canada.\nLegislative history\nNotes\n\t•\tFor further information relating to the Act and subordinate legislation made under the Act see the Index of South Australian Statutes or www.legislation.sa.gov.au.\nPrincipal regulations and variations\nNew entries appear in bold.\nYear\nNo\nReference\nCommencement\n2017\n212\nGazette 1.8.2017 p3062 \n1.8.2017: r 2\n2020\n215\nGazette 18.6.2020 p3418\n1.9.2020: r 2\nProvisions varied\nNew entries appear in bold.\nProvision\nHow varied\nCommencement\nr 2\nomitted under Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002\n1.9.2020\nr 3\n\n\nparent\nvaried by 215/2020 r 4\n1.9.2020\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Yes. The legislative history records a 2020 variation that altered the definition of 'parent' and omitted regulation 2 (see history: \"r 3 parent varied by 215/2020 r 4\" and \"r 2 omitted under Legislation Revision and Publication Act 2002\"). The current definition of 'parent' (r3) expressly includes mother and father, mother and co‑parent under the Family Relationships Act 1975, and a parent under an order made under section 18 of the Surrogacy Act 2019, which changes who is captured by registration and related procedural requirements."},"complexity_factors":["Heavy cross-referencing to the primary Act (sections 8(2), 10(2)(b)/(d), 12, 13(1), 26(1)) increases the need to consult multiple instruments.","Detailed procedural proof requirements for service and proof via statutory declaration (r5(1)(a),(b)).","Prescriptive data fields required at registration and revocation (r4; r5(2); r6) create concrete compliance steps.","Registrar recording duties and required statement of reasons impose administrative obligations but leave limited substantive discretion (r6).","A long list of corresponding interstate and foreign laws to recognise adds interpretive and evidentiary complexity for cross‑jurisdictional cases (r7).","Legislative variations to definitions (notably 'parent') and omitted regulation entries in the history affect who is covered and require checking amendment history."],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations set out the data and procedures for entering and ending registered relationships in South Australia: required personal particulars at registration, how revocation applications must be served and proved, what the Register must record on endings, and which interstate and foreign relationship laws are treated as corresponding.\n\nThey affect people registering or revoking relationships and the Registrar. Individuals must provide identity details, serve notice in person or by leaving it at a last known address and lodge a statutory declaration; the Registrar records dates and reasons. (rr 4–7)"},"summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Unable to assess scope changes from original intent as the legislative text was not accessible. Based on contextual inference, regulations of this type typically remain faithful to their enabling Act's administrative purposes without significant scope drift."},"complexity_factors":["Regulations of this type are typically administrative and procedural in nature, making them low in legal complexity","The actual legislative text was unavailable due to a broken URL, preventing detailed analysis","Subordinate legislation (regulations) under a parent Act tend to be narrower and more straightforward than the Act itself","Relationship registration schemes are well-established in Australian law with consistent patterns across jurisdictions"],"plain_english_summary":"The Relationships Register Regulations 2017 (SA) set out the procedural rules under the Relationships Register Act 2016 for formally recording domestic relationships in South Australia—how couples apply, fees, amendments, cancellations and record‑keeping. \n\nThe online regulations link was not retrievable (site changes on 24 March 2026), so this summary is based on the Act and typical regulatory detail; for authoritative wording, consult legislation.sa.gov.au."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The regulations remain tightly focused on their original purpose: operational details for the Relationships Register. The 2020 amendment merely updated the definition of 'parent' to reflect the Surrogacy Act 2019 — a technical update rather than scope expansion. The list of corresponding laws in regulation 7, while lengthy, serves the original intent of recognising interstate and overseas registered relationships."},"complexity_factors":["Only 7 substantive rules (regulations 3-7), with regulation 2 omitted entirely","Minimal defined terms — just 'Act' and an expanded definition of 'parent' that references two other Acts","No nested exceptions or complex conditional logic; each rule is straightforward and self-contained","Simple cross-referencing — each regulation points to a specific section of the parent Act without circular references","Regulation 7 is a long list but mechanically simple (declaring corresponding laws)","Total length is approximately 2 pages of substantive content"],"plain_english_summary":"These regulations set out the practical details for how South Australia's Relationships Register works. The Register is an official government record where couples (including same-sex couples) can register their relationship to gain legal recognition similar to marriage.\n\n**What these rules cover:**\n\n*   **What information gets recorded** when a relationship is registered — including each person's name, occupation, address, birth details, and parents' names\n*   **How to properly notify your partner** if you want to end the registration — you must serve notice personally or leave it at their last known address, then provide a sworn statement (statutory declaration) proving you did so\n*   **What gets recorded when a relationship ends** — the date and the reason (whether revoked by the couple or ended by another event like marriage or death)\n*   **Which overseas and interstate relationships are recognised** — the regulations list specific laws from other Australian states and territories, plus countries like Canada, New Zealand, the UK, USA, Netherlands and South Africa, so those relationships count as 'registered' in South Australia too\n\n**Who this affects:**\nCouples in South Australia who want legal recognition of their relationship without marrying, plus anyone who had a civil union or registered partnership overseas or interstate and wants it recognised in SA.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nRegistered relationships give couples important legal rights — like being recognised as next-of-kin in hospitals, making medical decisions, and accessing certain benefits. These regulations make sure the system runs properly and that relationships from elsewhere aren't ignored just because they were registered under a different law."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/relationships-register-regulations-2017","history":"/api/acts/relationships-register-regulations-2017/history","analysis":"/api/acts/relationships-register-regulations-2017/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/relationships-register-regulations-2017/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/relationships-register-regulations-2017/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/relationships-register-regulations-2017/documents"}}