Adopt Change welcomes Australian parliament support for adoption reform
**MEDIA RELEASE**
Adopt Change welcomes Australian parliament support for adoption reform
Having celebrated National Adoption Awareness Week earlier this month, Adopt Change welcome news today that the House of Representatives have endorsed a Motion, supporting the reform of adoption legislation, policies and practices.
The Motion, moved by Scott Buchholz MP, Federal member for Wright, comes less than a month after the Senate passed a similar motion and calls on the government to work with the Council of Australian Governments to increase the rate of local adoptions, where it is in the best interests of the child.
Adopt Change chief executive Jane Hunt said, “Adopt Change believes every child has the right to grow up in a stable, loving home and supports adoption as one way in which permanent, modern families can be formed. We welcome this step forward today and congratulate both houses of Parliament for showing support and leadership on this important issue.”
“There are 15,000 Australian children who have been permanently removed from their biological families for two or more years and not placed with relatives or kin. Only 203 were adopted last year*. We encourage the Council of Australian Governments to make reform a priority in 2016 and deliver outcomes which are in the best interests of the child.”
ENDS
Media Contact: Samantha Dybac email: sjdybac@sammway.com.au phone: 0411251373
Available for interview: Jane Hunt, chief executive, Adopt Change.
Adopt Change believes that every child has a right to grow up in a permanent, loving family, and embraces adoption as a positive and important way of forming that family.
Adopt Change’s mission is to raise community awareness, encourage ethical reform, and empower all Australians to engage with issues affecting adoption.
Adopt Change is committed to working with community and governments to transform attitudes and laws affecting adoption in Australia.
Adopt Change advocates for open adoption as the first permanent option considered for children who cannot live with their family or kin and will otherwise spend their childhood in Out of Home Care.
For more information on Adopt Change and National Adoption Awareness Week, visit
Adopt Change is on facebook, twitter and instagram @AdoptChangeAU
Reference
* Children who have been in temporary care for two or more years. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2015). Child Protection Australia 2013-14. Child and Welfare Series no. 61. Canberra: AIHW.
