Troy Bell the Independent member for Mt Gambier has tabled a motion in the Lower House which calls for the removal of barriers to adoption so that more SA children could be placed in permanent homes rather than in foster care.

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The Victorian Law Reform Commission is currently reviewing the Adoption Act 1984 and the Adoption Regulations 2008 with a view to reporting by 28 February 2017.

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Last week, a raft of ideologically-motivated rainbow legislation passed the South Australian Upper House in a pre-Christmas blitz on human dignity.

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A raft of bizare and unethical rainbow ideologically-motivated legislation will go before the South Australian Upper House this week in a pre-Christmas blitz on human dignity.

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The Australian Christian Lobby has urged South Australian Upper House parliamentarians to reject a bill that intentionally removes the right of children to know the love and care of a mother and father. 

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In a concerning move, late last night the Queensland Government rushed divisive legislation through Parliament taking away the rights of adopted children, wherever possible, to have both a mother and a father, according to the Australian Christian Lobby.

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Louise Voigt is the CEO of Barnardos, one of the leading child protection charities in Australia. In this interview with the ACL's Katherine Spackman she discusses NSW laws introduced by Community Services Minister Pru Goward to require child protection authorities to consider adoption as an option for children before foster care. There are approximately 18,000 children in foster care in the state. The proposed amendments to the Child Protection Legislation Amendment Bill 2013 are yet to pass parliament.

MEDIA RELEASE



For release: Monday, 16th December, 2013



The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has today congratulated the Queensland government for its decision to implement most of the 121 recommendations made by the Queensland Child Protection Commission of Inquiry, strengthening the state’s child protection system.



ACL’s Queensland Director Wendy Francis says such government intervention is a necessary step in ensuring full protection of children at risk of significant physical and mental harm.



“What we’ve seen today is a win for children right across our state. The government’s decision to accept the recommendations means the safety and wellbeing of our most vulnerable children will be upheld.



“In particular, ACL welcomes the backing of the adoption of children from troubled homes, particularly those aged under three years,” Ms Francis said.



ACL has long advocated for the welfare and protection of children across the country.



In 2011, ACL commissioned the For Kids’ Sake report, which tracked the deterioration in the wellbeing of many children and young people – especially adolescent girls – in Australia over the last ten to 15 years, and examined the extent to which this is the result of the increasing fragility of Australia’s family life.

The 2011 for Kids Sake report, commissioned by the Australian Christian Lobby, showed that the number of children in out-of-home care has more than doubled in a decade to 35,000 children. One idea to help ease the pressure on the foster care system is to encourage foster care children to be adopted out. ACL's Queensland Director Wendy Francis spoke to the ACL's Katherine Spackman about this issue - specifically in relation to Queensland.

Dr Joanna Howe is a spokeswoman with Women's Forum Australian. In this Political Spot interview with the ACL's Katherine Spackman she talks about preliminary findings into barriers to adoption. The preliminary findings are the first stage of the research project.