Acquiring adoption records for genealogical research can be very challenging. There are strict privacy laws that protect personal information of adoptees, their birth parents and adoptive parents. If you were adopted yourself, you have a right to access these documents. However, if you are researching a relative who was adopted, you will need to get their explicit consent, if they are still alive, or, if the person is deceased, you will have to prove your relationship to that person. If you are not a direct descendant it is unlikely you will be given access inside the legislated privacy period.
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Finding adoption records in AustraliaFinding adoption records in Australia
In Australia, adoption is managed and regulated at a state level. This means you need to identify in which state the adoption took place.
NSW - Department of Communities & JusticeNSW - Department of Communities & Justice
In NSW, Under the Adoption Act 2000, birth parents and adopted people are entitled to obtain identifying information about each other when the adopted person is over the age of 18 years. Adopted people can also obtain identifying information about any brothers or sisters who are over the age of 18 years and are also adopted. "People without direct entitlement may be able to access adoption records if "they can demonstrate that it would be reasonable for them to be provided with adoption information.[1]" Application are assessed on a case by case basis.
Victoria - Law & JusticeVictoria - Law & Justice
The Adoption Act 1984 prohibits access to court records held by Public Record Office Victoria except to eligible people through the Adoption Information Service. Contact the Victorian government to see if you're eligible to apply.
Queensland - Family & Community ServicesQueensland - Family & Community Services
Relatives of an adopted person can apply for access to records. Visit the Queensland Government website to See How to Request Adoption Information.
Western Australia - Department of CommunitiesWestern Australia - Department of Communities
Applications by relatives or descendants must also provide documentary proof of their relationship and entitlement to receive information (ie: applicant’s own birth certificate and death certificate of the relevant deceased party). Approval for access to adoption information is discretionary.
South Australia - The Department for Child ProtectionSouth Australia - The Department for Child Protection
A direct descendant or...
where the birth parents consent, or are deceased or cannot be located - a person who would have been a relative of the adopted person if the adoption order had not been made. 'Relative' is defined in section 4 of the [SA] Adoption Act
Tasmania - Department for Education, Children and Young PeoplesTasmania - Department for Education, Children and Young Peoples
The [Tasmanian] Adoption Act 1988 provides for an Adoption Information Service and an Adoption Information Register.
The services help those involved, to:
- obtain information from adoption records, and
- express their wishes about the exchange of information with each other, including making arrangements to meet if they wish to do so.
Australian Capital Territory - Community Services Australian Capital Territory - Community Services
Northern Territory - Community support and careNorthern Territory - Community support and care
In all cases, if you are making enquiries on behalf of a person who is still alive, you will need to have their explicit consent - usually a statuary declaration or letter signed by a notary or JP. If the person you are researching is deceased, you will need to verify this with their death certificate. You may also need to prove your relationship to them with certified documentation such as birth or marriage certificates.
For information about:
- birth, marriage and death searches,
- pre-adoption birth certificates
- Integrated Birth Certificates
Contact the registry in the state you are researching. See Birth, Death, And Marriage Records In Australia for links to state based registries.
Find and ConnectFind and Connect
Find & Connect brings together historical resources and practical information relating to adoption and institutional care in Australia. The site does not hold any personal records, but it does have information on how to find and apply for government records related to adoption and child welfare in each state.
Stolen generationsStolen generations
For over 100 years, from the mid 1800s, right up until the 1970s, Indigenous children were forcibly separated from their families and placed in institutional care with the specific goal of "civilizing" them. Collectively these children are now known as The Stolen Generations.
These children were taken by the police; from their homes; on their way to or from school. They were placed in over 480 institutions, adopted or fostered by non-Indigenous people and often subjected to abuse. The children were denied all access to their culture, they were not allowed to speak their language and they were punished if they did. [2]
See Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family history for more information about tracing indigenous family history.