During his election campaign, David Chrisafuli stated that he would “bring back adoption” as a way to reduce youth crime in Queensland. This highlighted his complete lack of understanding of the legislation, policies, and practices that already are in place to regulate adoption – past, present, and future. There is absolutely no evidence to show any correlation between adoption and reducing youth crime. In fact, leading experts in the field Prof. Darryl Higgins and Prof. Nahum Mushin say there are far better long-term care options for children that prioritise their human rights, safety, identity, and connection to family.
After his election win, Premier Chrisafuli announced a Commission of Inquiry into the broken Child Safety System. Tucked away in the Terms of Reference in Section 3. is this:
e. Reviewing Queensland legislation about the protection of children, including the Child Protection Act 1999 and Adoption Act 2009.
This submission highlights the lifelong impacts of adoption, the inequities between the rights of the child and the responsibilities of the carers in the Child Protection Act 1999 and the Adoption Act 2009.
Children (and the adults they become) and worse off in every respect under the Adoption Act 2009.
Read the full submission HERE.