Analysis of Proposed Legislative Amendment

The Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2025 – changes to the Adoption Act 1984 (Vic)

Changes have recently been made to adoption legislation in Victoria – with no public notification or consultation.

The Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2025 introduced significant changes to the Adoption Act 1984 including widening of already existing discretionary powers to restrict release of information; changes to requirements to notify and/or gain the permission of adopted people and natural mothers whose personal information is to be released to relatives; and additional provisions concerning the release of information to courts and investigative bodies. These changes not only affect already vulnerable groups now, but there may also be further implications when the statute of limitations on historical adoption-related abuse is lifted.

The amendments were made through an “Omnibus” Bill that amended more than 14 different Acts, covering subjects as varied as recycling, environmental sustainability, domestic animals, electricity, minerals, housing – and adoption. Omnibus Bills bundle unrelated legislative changes into a single package, which can limit the ability of parliamentarians to examine each provision on its own merits. This approach in general reduces transparency and increases the likelihood that contentious or poorly explained provisions will pass without adequate scrutiny. While appropriate for minor administrative or clearly non-controversial amendments, it is not suitable for significant changes affecting vulnerable populations.

There was no public notification or consultation, and no specific reference to recommendations from past inquiries was made beyond vague and generalised statements. None of these changes were adequately explained or justified. Parliament was not provided with clear or accurate information about the nature of the changes, the reasons they were introduced, or their potential implications.

These additional and insufficiently explained changes have further added to the complexity, duplication, and piecemeal nature of legislation that the Victorian Law Reform Commission recommended in 2017 should be comprehensively overhauled.

The bill received Royal Assent on 20 May 2025 and is now in force as Act No. 14 of 2025.

Here is the history of the Bill going through Parliament: Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2025

Here is ARA‘s analysis of the changes, but there was no opportunity for consultation about the issues raised.

Adoptee Rights Australia Inc. will continue to work towards getting changes to this legislation to address the many concerns about an adopted persons rights to personal information, access to identity documents, and protections around information sharing.

Many thanks to Sharyn White, BPsych (Hons), Vice President, Adoptee Rights Australia (ARA) Inc. for undertaking this detailed research and bringing attention to this important issue.