Future adoption laws for Queensland
Queensland's current adoption laws date from 1964. While these laws have been amended over the years since, they still largely reflect community values from that time.
On 14 July 2008, Premier Anna Bligh and the Minister for Child Safety, the Honourable Margaret Keech MP, announced that the Queensland Government is developing new laws to support contemporary, child-focussed and efficient adoption practice. The Queensland Government's proposals for new adoption laws are set out in the Future adoption laws for Queensland - policy paper.
The proposed new laws are based on outcomes of previous consultation, evidence from research and best practice in other Australian states and territories and will introduce a range of significant reforms.
The proposed new laws focus on the wellbeing and best interests of the child, both through childhood and the rest of his or her life. The major areas of reform cover the following matters:
- the consents required for a child's adoption to proceed
- how a birth parent's consent to a child's adoption is provided
- provisions for open adoption, where birth parents and adoptive parents agree
- eligibility criteria for prospective adoptive parents
- the operation of the adoption expression of interest and assessment registers
- relative and step-parent adoption
- the process for selecting and assessing prospective adoptive parents
- court oversight of adoption processes.
These proposals will be incorporated into an Adoption Bill to be introduced into the Parliament to become law. This will happen after feedback in response to the Balancing privacy and access: adoption consultation paper has been received so the Bill can also include any new laws about access to identifying adoption information.
- Last updated
- 24 September 2008
