Same-sex couple adoption bill passes NSW Lower House

The NSW Legislative Assembly this afternoon voted 45-43 in favour of independent MP Clover Moore’s bill to amend the NSW Adoption Act to allow same-sex couples to adopt.

The bill allows for gay and lesbian couples to adopt children they are fostering, for a biological child to be adopted by the same-sex partner of their biological parent, for children adopted by a single person to be adopted by their custodial parent’s same-sex partner, and for same-sex couples to adopt children they do not have a previous relationship with through adoption services.

Moore had already amended the bill to exempt religious run adoption agencies from having to consider same-sex couples as potential adoptive parents, but a number of MPs indicated they would need to see the bill further amended before they could support it in a final vote.

Labor MP Frank Sartor proposed an amendment to the bill to exempt the NSW Adoption Act from the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act for the purpose of giving the birth parents of children in stranger adoption cases greater say in refusing to have their children placed with same-sex couples and others they disagreed with because of personally held beliefs.

An amendment asked for by some “no” voters which would have seen same-sex couples entirely excluded from stranger adoption was not forthcoming.

The bill will now go to the NSW Legislative Council for final approval.