The battle to secure the rights of adopted children in New South Wales to have the opportunity to be raised by both a mother and a father has taken another backwards step, with the NSW Upper House voting in favour of gay adoption.

Clover Moore’s same sex adoption bill breezed through the state’s upper house last night with a comfortable 22 to 15 vote margin. The bill will now go back before the lower house to secure support for minor amendments secured in the other chamber.

A media report today claims that, “Members of the [Legislative] council complained of receiving hundreds of emails opposing the legislation”. Perhaps such legislators would have less to complain about if their votes reflected the overwhelming public opposition to the bill.

One politician who was swayed by public opinion was lower house member for Tamworth Peter Draper, who voted against the bill despite expressing some sympathy towards same sex parenting during his speech in the parliament. He said:

“From my reading of the legislation the bill does not seem to contain the overtly sinister intentions that some believe it contains. Nevertheless, after taking into account the overwhelming views expressed to me from local constituents, I cannot support the legislation. I will oppose the bill.”

These comments show how important it is to speak out against harmful legislation. ACL thanks supporters for their tremendous support of our Kids’ Right Count campaign, which has generated more than 40,000 emails to NSW state politicians, and even caused our email website to crash.

Earlier in the week ACL issued a media release with attached letter calling on MLCs to reject the same sex adoption bill because it was not in the best interests of children. It would appear that the campaign, whilst hugely beneficial, has not caused this terrible legislation to be blocked.

Click here to read ACL’s submission to the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General, Australian Health Ministers’ Conference, and Community and Disability Services Ministers’ Conference Joint Working Group investigation: ‘A Proposal for a National Model to Harmonise Regulation of Surrogacy’.

Click here to read ACL’s submission to the New South Wales Legislative Council Standing Committee on Law and Justice Inquiry into adoption by same sex couples.

Click here to read answers to questions taken on notice at public hearings.

Click here to read the 2006 submission to the New South Wales Department of Community Services Review of the Adoption Act 2000.

Click here to read ACL’s submission to the New South Wales Legislative Council Standing Committee on Law & Justice Inquiry into legislation on altruistic surrogacy in NSW.

Click here to read ACL’s submission to the West Australian Legislation Committee Inquiry into the Surrogacy Bill 2007.