Adoption Australia - making a change

THIS PETITION HAS BEEN SENT ON THE 2ND OF MAY - TO MR KEVIN RUDD OUR PM, AND MR ROBERT McCLELLAND THE AG. A COPY WAS ALSO SENT TO MS BRONWYN BISHOP

TO VIEW A COPY OF THE ATTACHED LETTER TO THE MR RUDD CLICK

2320!!! SIGNATURES SINCE 21 MARCH 2008

The petition is endorsed by

THIS PETITION IS NOW CLOSED

This petition will be used to lobby the Federal Government and the Federal Attorney General to pressure them to address and resolve the urgent issues affecting adoptive families in Australia. We are seeking your support.

We ask that you:

Sign the petition below – by completing the simple online form at the end of this page
Circulate this email to other adoptive families and supporters for them to complete
Send a letter to your local federal member. Click here to download draft letter

The Australian intercountry adoption system has been in crisis for many years. There are more than an estimated eleven million orphaned and abandoned children in the world, yet Australia has the 2nd lowest adoption rate in the developed world.

In the Standing Committee on Family and Human Services Inquiry report on Overseas Adoption in Australia released by Committee Chair, Bronwyn Bishop, in November 2005, numerous issues were raised with the path to resolution clearly outlined. Enlightened recommendations were made, approved by the then government and implementation was begun. However, it seems activities have stopped since the announcement of the election in late 2007 and the election of the Rudd government.

The bottom line is:

The Federal Government should make it easier for more children to be adopted into Australian families.
The process needs to be more accessible, affordable and streamlined.
Adoption waiting lists need to be reduced - they are far too long and the process takes too long.
Australians should be allowed to adopt from more countries - and non government organisations (NGOS) should be supported to set up private not for profit adoption agencies.

There are numerous issues that need urgent attention and action. We have identified what we feel to be the major initial changes required, and to this end we call on the Federal Government to act with haste on the following:

The Federal Government should as a matter of urgency implement the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Family and Human Services report Nov 2005 - click to download a copy of the recommendations - see page 17.
The Federal Government should without further delay, finalise and distribute for consultation, the revised Commonwealth /State agreement (Recommendation 1 of Standing Committee on Family and Human Services report Nov 2005 - click to download a copy of the recommendations - see page 17.
While a start has been made by the Attorney Generals Department, the Federal Government should expedite the establishment of new adoption programs and increase the number of countries from which Australians are permitted to adopt. NGOs should be involved in the program establishment process.
The Federal Government should establish a national accreditation system to enable NGOs to deliver adoption services. Seed funding should be provided to enable NGOs to establish accredited adoption agencies.
The Federal Government should quickly complete the establishment of the national peak body for adoption support organisations.
NEWS ITEM : ON 30 MAR 2008 THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PEAK BODY
The Federal Government should waive the present $1390 Australian entry visa fees for the adopted children.
As promised prior to the election, the Federal Government should remove the age limit for adopted children in relation to the maternity allowance. (Recommendation 9 of Standing Committee on Family and Human Services report Nov 2005) - click to download a copy of the recommendations - see page 17.
The Federal Government should introduce legislation that will allow the issuing of an Australian birth certificate to all adoptees. (Recommendation 12 of Standing Committee on Family and Human Services report Nov 2005)
The Federal Government should offer tax deductions or offsets for adoption expenses.
The Federal Government should act to ensure that adoption laws and criteria are consistent in all states and are compatible with internationally accepted standards. This should include the adoption of older children and sibling groups, disclosure of information regarding waiting children and adoption by single applicants.
Adoptive families should be acknowledged as equal to families with biological children in regard to work leave benefits & entitlements.

To submit additional comment - contact us

petition@adoptionaustralia.org

A notice regarding an online petition about intercountry adoption is now available on the AGD website. To access the information, please go to http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/Families_Intercountryadoption_Whatsnew or http://www.ag.gov.au and follow the links to 'Intercountry adoption', then 'What's New'.

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