The Parliament of Western Australia formally apologised for the ‘Removal of Children from Unmarried Mothers’ in 2010. It was the first Australian parliament to do so. The Parliament, on behalf of previous governments, apologised to ‘the mothers, their children and the families who were adversely affected by these past adoption practices’. The apology was heard…
The Adoption of Children Act Amendment Act 1945 (Act no. 1945/031 (9 & 10 Geo. VI No.31)) commenced on 30 January 1946. The amendments came into force on 30 January 1946 and amended Rules operated from 24 October 1930. The Adoption of Children Act Amendment Act restricted access to the original birth certificate of adopted…
The Adoption of Children Act Amendment Act 1926 (Act no. 057 of 1926 (17 Geo. V No. 57)) further increased adoption secrecy by enabling a new birth certificate to be issued upon adoption. Previously, the ‘fact’ of the adoption was obvious on the child’s amended birth certificate because the details of the birth parents had…
The Adoption of Children Act Amendment Act 1921 (1921/009 (12 Geo. V No.9)) commenced on 8 November 1921. It made the adopted child’s birth surname secret. In the original Act of 1896 the adopted child’s legal name included both the surname that was registered at the time of their birth (their ‘proper name’) and the…
Adoption Jigsaw provides information and services to people who have been involved in adoption. The organisation was founded in 1978 ‘for the purpose of lobbying for legislative change and more openness in adoption.’ Since 1979, Adoption Jigsaw has had a confidential ‘Contact Register’ for people wishing to make contact with other parties to the adoption…
The Adoption of Children Amendment Act 1985 (Act 1985/108) which came into effect on 24 October 1986, had a number of significant developments, relating to the registration of private adoption agencies, and access to adoption information. The Adoption of Children Amendment Act 1985 provided that: ‘Private adoption agencies’ could register and arrange adoptions under the…
The Adoption of Children Act Amendment Act 1964 (1964/100) made a number of changes to ‘modernise’ the Adoption of Children Act 1896, and bring it more into line with adoption legislation in other States. WA was the only jurisdiction to not pass new model legislation in the 1960s, although the amendments in 1964 significantly modernised…
The Adoption of Children Act Amendment Act 1976 (1976/112) amended and modernised the Adoption of Children Act 1896. It removed the term, ‘illegitimate child’ and replaced it with ‘a child whose parents were not married to each other at the time of his birth or subsequently.’ It also further clarified the concept of ‘undue influence’…
The Adoption of Children Act 1896 (1896/006) made it possible to legally adopt a child under the age of 15 years in Western Australia. The Act was amended throughout the twentieth century and was eventually repealed by the Adoption Act 1994. The Adoption of Children Act 1896 came into operation on 23 September 1896. It…
The Health Act 1911 (1911/034 (1 Geo. V No.45)) repealed the Health Act 1898 and remains the principal public health legislation in Western Australia. In 1911 it had a number of impacts on children in out of home care, mainly through their participation in the school system. The Act allowed the medical and dental examination…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
