NIT: Aboriginal baby’s gay aunt refused as carer, sparking call for law change

Advocacy groups want legal changes after an adoption agency refused to consider an Aboriginal baby’s aunt as a carer because she was in same-sex relationship.

A refusal to consider placing an Aboriginal baby in the care of an aunt because she was in a same-sex relationship has prompted calls for legal reform.

Adoption agency Anglicare Sydney did not assess the child’s maternal aunt despite her mother’s wishes to have the baby under the long-term care of an Aboriginal family member.

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The Public Interest Advocacy Centre called for the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act – which allows for exceptions in religious-based foster care – to be overhauled.

‘The fact that, in 2024, religious adoption and foster care services have special legal privileges to discriminate against same-sex couples is a shameful reminder of the urgent need for reform,’ Policy and Advocacy Director Alastair Lawrie said.