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How to Adopt from Australia
Source: cia.gov.
Adoption Authority
The Australian Central Authority for Inter-country Adoption is the Australian Government Attorney General's Department, Intercountry Adoption Branch. The Commonwealth Government, through the Attorney-General's Department, has responsibility for the establishment and overall management of Australia's intercountry adoption programs.
State and Territory Central Authorities have responsibility for processing individual adoption applications and assessing prospective adoptive parents to determine their suitability to adopt. A list of State and Territory Central Authorities is provided at the end of this flyer in the Contact Information section.
The Process
All inter-country adoption processes by Australian citizens and/or permanent residents living in Australia are conducted in accordance with the Hague Convention. The inter-country adoption process used in each State and Territory is similar, but not identical. Generally, the adoption process in each State and Territory begins with a formal application and a detailed assessment of the applicant. If a prospective parent is deemed suitable by the State their application is forwarded overseas for approval. If successful, the overseas authority then sends a placement proposal to the State or Territory Central Authority for approval. Finally, the parents are invited to travel to meet the child they have been matched with overseas. Waiting times between approval and placement proposal may vary on depending on the country the child is being adopted from. Differences in process and requirements may also occur in each overseas country with which Australia has a program. State and Territory Central Authorities provide support and supervision following placement. The way in which an adoption is finalized depends upon the process used in the country of origin and the relevant State or Territory procedures.
Further general information on the adoption process can be obtained by visiting the Australian Government Attorney-General's Department website.
Information about State specific process requirements is available from the website of the relevant State or Territory Central Authority (listed at the end of this flyer in the Contact Information section).
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