ADOPTION ACT 2000

New South Wales Consolidated Acts

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ADOPTION ACT 2000 - NOTES

- As at 17 July 2009 - Act 75 of 2000

Note to Chapter 1

This Chapter contains provisions that are helpful in understanding the Act as a whole. It also contains some machinery provisions.

Note to Chapter 3

This Chapter provides for the making of arrangements for the placement of children for adoption through a government department and accredited adoption service providers. It makes it clear that individuals must not make their own adoption arrangements, either personally or through private institutions. The Chapter provides for the accreditation of charitable and non-profit organisations to provide adoption services.

Note to Part 6

This Part provides for the parental responsibility for children between the period when consent to adoption is given and an adoption order made. Parental responsibility is given to the Director-General who has power to decide, for example, whether the child should be placed with temporary authorised carers or the proposed adoptive parents, in this period.

Note to Part 7

This Part enables a preliminary hearing to be held before a full adoption hearing. At such a hearing the Court may examine certain prescribed matters. Matters that might be prescribed are for example, that a child may have indicated he or she does not want to be placed with the proposed family or that continued access of relatives significant to an older child has not been provided for.

Note to Part 9

The power to make adoption orders is conferred by section 23.

Note to Part 11

This Part describes the effect of the adoption order. It recognises the change in the legal status of the child and his or her transfer from one family to another but also recognises the benefit of maintaining a relationship with birth parents.

Note to Chapter 5

This Chapter provides for the recognition of adoptions in other States and Territories (Part 1). It also provides 3 ways of recognising intercountry adoptions. Part 2 provides for the recognition of adoptions made in accordance with the Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption and adoptions granted in certain prescribed overseas jurisdictions and adoption in other overseas jurisdictions.

Note to Chapter 6

This Chapter specifies the procedures that are to be followed in proceedings before the Supreme Court under the Act.

Note to Chapter 7

Documents referred to in this Chapter may be produced and recorded and transmitted electronically. The Electronic Transactions Act 2000 contains provisions that state that a requirement or permission under law for a person to provide information in writing, to sign a document, to produce a document or to retain information or a document may be satisfied by an electronic communication, subject to certain minimum criteria.

Note to Chapter 10

This Chapter contains various provisions relating to the internal review of certain decisions of the Director-General and other relevant decision makers under the Act. The Chapter also enables the Administrative Decisions Tribunal to review some of those decisions following such an internal review.

Note to Chapter 11

This Chapter contains various provisions relating to the general operation of the Act. The Chapter also repeals the Adoption of Children Act 1965 and the Adoption Information Act 1990 and the regulations made under those Acts.

Does not include amendments by:

Private Health Facilities Act 2007 No 9 (not commenced)
Adoption Amendment Act 2008 No 103 (amended by Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 No 56), Sch 1 [22]-[31] (not commenced)
Succession Amendment (Intestacy) Act 2009 No 29 (not commenced)

Reprint history:

Reprint No 1 4 March 2003
Reprint No 2 21 August 2007

Historical notes

The following abbreviations are used in the Historical notes:

Am	amended	LW	legislation website	Sch	Schedule
Cl	clause	No	number	Schs	Schedules
Cll	clauses	p	page	Sec	section
Div	Division	pp	pages	Secs	sections
Divs	Divisions	Reg	Regulation	Subdiv	Subdivision
GG	Government Gazette	Regs	Regulations	Subdivs	Subdivisions
Ins	inserted	Rep	repealed	Subst	substituted

Table of amending instruments

Adoption Act 2000 No 75. Assented to 9.11.2000. Date of commencement, secs 12-15, 18 and 19 (1) and cl 3 of Sch 3 excepted, 1.2.2003, sec 2 and GG No 33 of 31.1.2003, p 591; date of commencement of secs 12-15, 18 and 19 (1) and cl 3 of Sch 3, 1.7.2005, sec 2 and GG No 81 of 1.7.2005, p 3308. This Act has been amended as follows:

2001	No 112	Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (No 2) 2001. Assented to 14.12.2001. Date of commencement of Sch 1.2, assent, sec 2 (2).
	No 118	Aboriginal Land Rights Amendment Act 2001. Assented to 19.12.2001. Date of commencement, 25.10.2002, sec 2 and GG No 189 of 25.10.2002, p 9059.
	No 121	Justices Legislation Repeal and Amendment Act 2001. Assented to 19.12.2001. Date of commencement of Sch 2, 7.7.2003, sec 2 and GG No 104 of 27.6.2003, p 5978.
2002	No 42	Community Services Legislation Amendment Act 2002. Assented to 3.7.2002. Date of commencement, 1.12.2002, sec 2 and GG No 237 of 29.11.2002, p 10061.
	No 53	Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2002. Assented to 4.7.2002. Date of commencement of Sch 2.2, assent, sec 2 (2).
	No 73	Miscellaneous Acts Amendment (Relationships) Act 2002. Assented to 1.10.2002. Date of commencement, 1.11.2002, sec 2 and GG No 201 of 1.11.2002, p 9302.
	No 112	Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (No 2) 2002. Assented to 29.11.2002. Date of commencement of Sch 1.1, assent, sec 2 (3).
2003	No 40	Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2003. Assented to 22.7.2003. Date of commencement of Sch 2.1, assent, sec 2 (2).
	No 82	Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (No 2) 2003. Assented to 27.11.2003. Date of commencement of Sch 3, assent, sec 2 (1).
2004	No 91	Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (No 2) 2004. Assented to 10.12.2004. Date of commencement of Sch 2.1, assent, sec 2 (2).
2005	No 98	Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (No 2) 2005. Assented to 24.11.2005. Date of commencement of Sch 3, assent, sec 2 (2).
2006	No 80	Succession Act 2006. Assented to 27.10.2006. Date of commencement, 1.3.2008, sec 2 and GG No 16 of 15.2.2008, p 707.
	No 112	Adoption Amendment Act 2006. Assented to 4.12.2006. Date of commencement, assent, sec 2.
2007	No 94	Miscellaneous Acts (Local Court) Amendment Act 2007. Assented to 13.12.2007. Date of commencement of Sch 2, 6.7.2009, sec 2 and 2009 (314) LW 3.7.2009.
2008	No 103	Adoption Amendment Act 2008. Assented to 4.12.2008. Date of commencement of Sch 1 [1]-[21] and [32]-[34], 1.1.2009, sec 2 and GG No 158 of 19.12.2008, p 12301; date of commencement of Sch 1 [22]-[31]: not in force.
2009	No 49	NSW Trustee and Guardian Act 2009. Assented to 26.6.2009. Date of commencement, 1.7.2009, sec 2 and 2009 (305) LW 1.7.2009.
	No 56	Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009. Assented to 1.7.2009. Date of commencement of Sch 1.1, 17.7.2009, sec 2 (2).

Table of amendments

Sec 4	Am 2001 No 118, Sch 2.1.
Sec 8	Am 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [1] [2].
Sec 10	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [1] [2].
Sec 13	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 1 [1] [2].
Sec 15	Am 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [3] [4].
Sec 16	Am 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [3].
Sec 17	Am 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [3] [5].
Sec 20	Am 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [3] [4].
Sec 21	Am 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [3].
Sec 24	Am 2006 No 112, Schs 1 [3] [4], 2 [3]; 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [3] [4].
Sec 28	Am 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [5].
Sec 29	Am 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [6].
Sec 30	Am 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [7] [8].
Sec 33	Am 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [6]; 2004 No 91, Sch 2.1; 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [9].
Sec 37	Am 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [7]; 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [10].
Sec 43	Am 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [3].
Sec 46	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 1 [5]; 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [11].
Sec 49	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [4].
Sec 52	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [5] [6].
Sec 53	Am 2001 No 112, Sch 1.2; 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [7] [8].
Sec 54	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [9] [10]; 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [12]; 2009 No 56, Sch 1.1 [1] [2].
Sec 55	Am 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [13].
Sec 56	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [11].
Sec 59	Am 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [14].
Sec 60	Am 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [15].
Sec 63	Am 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [16].
Sec 64	Am 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [8]-[10].
Sec 65	Am 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [11]-[13].
Sec 67	Am 2006 No 112, Schs 1 [6], 2 [12] [13].
Sec 73	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [14].
Chapter 4, Part 6, heading	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [15].
Chapter 4, Part 6, note	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [16]-[18].
Sec 75	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [19]-[28].
Sec 76	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [29]-[33].
Sec 77	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [34] [35].
Sec 78	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [36]-[40].
Sec 79	Am 2006 No 112, Schs 1 [7] [8], 2 [41]-[45].
Secs 79A, 79B	Ins 2006 No 112, Sch 1 [9].
Sec 87	Am 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [17] [18].
Sec 91	Subst 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [19].
Sec 92	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [46].
Sec 93	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [47].
Sec 96	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [48].
Sec 99	Am 2006 No 80, Sch 3.2 [1].
Sec 100	Am 2006 No 80, Sch 3.2 [2].
Sec 101	Am 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [20] [21].
Sec 119	Am 2005 No 98, Sch 3.2 [1].
Sec 122	Am 2005 No 98, Sch 3.2 [2]-[4].
Sec 123	Am 2005 No 98, Sch 3.2 [3] [4].
Sec 124	Am 2005 No 98, Sch 3.2 [2]-[5].
Sec 137	Am 2002 No 73, Sch 1.1 [1]-[3].
Sec 143A	Ins 2006 No 112, Sch 1 [10].
Sec 176	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [49].
Sec 180	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [50]. Subst 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [32].
Sec 180A	Ins 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [32].
Sec 184	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [51] [52].
Sec 185	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [53].
Sec 189	Am 2003 No 40, Sch 2.1.
Sec 193	Am 2002 No 42, Sch 4.1; 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [3].
Secs 195, 196	Subst 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [14].
Sec 202	Am 2009 No 49, Sch 2.2.
Sec 202A	Ins 2006 No 112, Sch 1 [11].
Sec 204	Am 2001 No 121, Sch 2.5 [1]-[3]; 2007 No 94, Sch 2.
Sec 211	Rep 2003 No 82, Sch 3.
Sch 2	Am 2002 No 53, Sch 2.2. Rep 2003 No 82, Sch 3.
Sch 3	Am 2006 No 112, Sch 1 [12] [13]; 2008 No 103, Sch 1 [33] [34].
Dictionary	Am 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [15]; 2005 No 98, Sch 3.2 [6]; 2006 No 112, Sch 2 [54]-[58]; 2009 No 56, Sch 1.1 [3] [4].
The whole Act (except cl 3 (3) of Sch 3)	Am 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [1] (“adoption agency” omitted wherever occurring, “adoption service provider” inserted instead).
The whole Act (except the heading to cl 3 of Sch 3)	Am 2002 No 112, Sch 1.1 [2] (“adoption agencies” omitted wherever occurring, “adoption service providers” inserted instead).