The number of children adopted in Australia each year has
reached a record low-adoptions fell by 9% overall in 2000-01,
according to a report published today by the Australian Institute
of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Adoptions Australia 2000-01 shows there were a total of
514 adoptions in Australia in 2000-01, 52 less than in 1999-00, and
far from a peak of nearly 10,000 in 1971-72.
Co-author of the report, Susan Kelly, said the decline in the
total number of adoptions for 2000-01 was mostly due to a fall in
the number of local adoptions and the number of children adopted by
relatives or guardians ('known child' adoptions).
'During this period, there were 88 local adoptions compared with
106 in the previous year, and 137 'known child' adoptions compared
with 159 in the previous year,' Ms Kelly said.
'Changing attitudes to single parenthood, changing practices to
discourage adoptions by relatives, and policies that encourage the
permanent placement of children rather than adoption were the main
reasons for the decline in adoptions of Australian children.'
'The number of intercountry adoptions also decreased by 4% from
301 in 1999-00 to 289 in 2000-01.'
Intercountry adoptions included 51 children adopted under the
1998 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in
Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The Convention establishes
uniform adoption procedures among its 40 signatory countries, and
safeguards children's best interests.
The major countries of origin in 2000-01 were South Korea (75),
India (40), Ethiopia (37) and Thailand (35).
There were 4,304 applications for information about past
adoptions in 2000-01 (a fall of 14% from the 5,008 lodged in the
previous year). Most (71%) of these applications were made by the
adopted person, with 18% of applications made by the birth parents
and 7% by other birth relatives.
5 February 2002
Further information: Susan Kelly (co-author)
AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1182
or 0413 388 601 (mobile) or Helen Moyle, AIHW, tel. 02 6244
1188
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW,
tel. 02 6244 1032
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for details.