Review of the Adoption Act 1984: Consultation Paper

In December 2015, the Attorney-General asked the Commission to provide recommendations for adoption law reform, including modernising the Adoption Act 1984 to ensure the child’s best interests and rights while considering:

• Eligibility to adopt and the application process
• Access to adoption information
• Birth certificates of adopted people.

NB: The Commission was not asked to examine adoption laws and practices that existed before the Adoption Act 1984; nor to review the law regarding inter-country adoption programs, nor to consider adoptions by same-sex couples or contact statements.

The consultation paper explained the law and asked questions to guide public submissions.

• Preface
• Call for submissions
• Terms of reference
• Glossary
• 1. Introduction
• 2. History of adoption law in Victoria
• 3. Current law and practice in Victoria
• 4. Adoption in the child protection context
• 5. The best interests and rights of the child
• 6. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and the best interests principle
• 7. Eligibility, suitability, contemporary attitudes and the law
• 8. Information and identity
• 9. Modernisation and operation of the Adoption Act
• 10. Conclusion
• Questions
• Appendix A: Key differences: Adoption Orders, Permanent Care Orders and Parenting Orders
• Appendix B: Rights to adoption information under the information provisions