Adoption is a legal proceeding that creates a parent-child relation between persons not related by blood; the adopted child is entitled to all privileges belonging to a natural child of the adoptive parents (including the right to inherit). The official transfer through the court system of all of the parental rights that a biological parent has to a child, along with an assumption by the adopting parent of all of the parental rights of the biological parents that are being terminated and are assumed in their entirety by the adoptive parents, including the responsibility for the care and supervision of the child, its nurturing and training, its physical and emotional health, and its financial support. The first adoption legislation in Australia was enacted in Western Australia in 1896.
Prepared by: Lee Butterworth
Created: 24 February 2009, Last modified: 13 February 2018
Last updated: 4 August 2023
Cite this: https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/australia/biogs/FE00005b.htm
First published by the Find & Connect Web Resource Project for the Commonwealth of Australia, 2011
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