Thursday, September 14, 2006
A sad step bakward for Au
...
States lose on adoption
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/states-lose-on-adoption/2006/09/14/1157827093119.html
September 15, 2006
THE states will be stripped of prime responsibility for Australia's overseas adoption programs, with the Federal Government taking over management of the system.
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock's department will assume control of overseas adoptions after a federal parliamentary inquiry blamed state government neglect and hostility for driving down the number of adoptions in Australia since the early 1970s.
The House of Representatives committee, which reported last November, found a general lack of support for adoptions among state and territory governments.
Australia's per capita rate of adoptions from overseas has fallen to less than one-third the rate of most First-World countries.
Adoptions, the report said, had become the "poor relation" of child protection in Australia.
Mr Ruddock said the Commonwealth accepted the committee's recommendation that it should take prime responsibility for overseas adoptions.
"The committee's recommendations represent a blueprint for major reform of Australia's overseas adoption system," he said.
State and territory governments will retain responsibility for day-to-day processing and manage individual applications, including assessing applicants.
"The Government urges the states and territories to ensure that applications are assessed quickly and thoroughly so that aspiring parents are able to benefit from these reforms," Mr Ruddock said.
In response to the report, the Government will also ensure that children adopted from overseas have the same citizenship rights as those born in Australia.
Adoptive parents will also become eligible for the federal maternity immunisation allowance if the child arrives in Australia before the age of 16.
States lose on adoption
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/states-lose-on-adoption/2006/09/14/1157827093119.html
September 15, 2006
THE states will be stripped of prime responsibility for Australia's overseas adoption programs, with the Federal Government taking over management of the system.
Attorney-General Philip Ruddock's department will assume control of overseas adoptions after a federal parliamentary inquiry blamed state government neglect and hostility for driving down the number of adoptions in Australia since the early 1970s.
The House of Representatives committee, which reported last November, found a general lack of support for adoptions among state and territory governments.
Australia's per capita rate of adoptions from overseas has fallen to less than one-third the rate of most First-World countries.
Adoptions, the report said, had become the "poor relation" of child protection in Australia.
Mr Ruddock said the Commonwealth accepted the committee's recommendation that it should take prime responsibility for overseas adoptions.
"The committee's recommendations represent a blueprint for major reform of Australia's overseas adoption system," he said.
State and territory governments will retain responsibility for day-to-day processing and manage individual applications, including assessing applicants.
"The Government urges the states and territories to ensure that applications are assessed quickly and thoroughly so that aspiring parents are able to benefit from these reforms," Mr Ruddock said.
In response to the report, the Government will also ensure that children adopted from overseas have the same citizenship rights as those born in Australia.
Adoptive parents will also become eligible for the federal maternity immunisation allowance if the child arrives in Australia before the age of 16.
# posted by Senior Mom @ 4:04 PM 
