Inter-Country Adoption Policy in Australia — The Abnegation of Responsibility?

Recent revelations in the media about the status of some Taiwanese children adopted by Australians raised again the issue of safeguards, official policies and practice in inter-country adoption. For many of the people significantly engaged in urging a raising of standards, the present situation and future possibilities foreshadowed in official quarters leave little room for optimism. In spite of well documented arguments for a uniform code of practice, responsibilities remain divided, offering loopholes for those who believe they have a special case that puts them outside the laid down procedures for assessment and approval. This paper argues that governments in Australia (State and Commonwealth) must not be allowed to walk away from responsibilities in inter-country adoptions, responsibilities which are firmly established and recognised as appropriate in domestic adoptions.