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Adoptee Rights Australia Incorporated
National Advocacy Association of Adopted People

Has been stablished by adopted persons to give a national voice to their lived experience of adoption in Australia.

Moreover, Adoptee Rights Australia aims to be the peak body to advocate for reform in adoption legislation, policy and services in all Government jurisdictions in Australia, because the human rights and wellbeing of adopted persons should be restored, protected and promoted.

Most importantly Adoptee Rights Australia seeks to raise public awareness of, and support for, reform of adoption legislation, policy, and services across Australia

Quarter of a Million Reasons
Legalised adoption has existed in Australia for nearly one hundred years. In that time well over a quarter of a million Australian children had their identities extinguished and lives changed forever through adoption. Many of those adoptions were forced, some were illegal, nearly all removed children from meaningful contact with or knowledge about their real families. Some experienced childhoods full of abuse and trauma and even many of those from normal adoptive homes suffered from maternal separation, identity confusion and other health impacts.

These adopted people have never had a national voice.

Until now.

Adoptee Rights Australia (ARA) was founded in mid-2018 by members from grass roots groups and activists fighting for the rights of present and future adoptees. This is ARA’s story.

Turning Our History into a Better Future for All
ARA’s Committee is now well advanced in key aspects of establishing the systems and strategies that will enable ARA to meet its objectives. This website has been constructed, a membership drive is underway and the financial and governance needs of the association are being addressed to ensure stability, democracy and effectiveness. At the heart of ARA’s mission is the advocacy for the rights of and services to all adopted people. The lived experience of adoptees is understood as crucial to informing change to adoption practices so that a better future can be achieved for current and future adoptees. ARA’s approach is rights-based, seeking to have policy and decision makers commit to the rights of children being first in all adoption reform. The preamble of ARA’s constitution states:

Adoptee Rights Australia is established by adopted persons to give a national voice to their lived experience of adoption in Australia.

Adoptee Rights Australia aims to be the peak body to advocate for reform in adoption legislation, policy and services in all Governments jurisdictions in Australia so that the human rights and wellbeing of adopted persons are restored, protected and promoted

Adoptee Rights Australia seeks to raise public awareness of, and support for, reform of adoption legislation, policy, and services across Australia.

Objectives
Adoptee Rights Australia is established by adopted persons to give a national voice to their lived experience of adoption in Australia.

Adoptee Rights Australia exists as the peak body to advocate for reform in adoption legislation, policy and services in all Governments jurisdictions in Australia so that the human rights and wellbeing of adopted persons are restored, protected and promoted.

Adoptee Rights Australia seeks to raise public awareness of, and support for, reform of adoption legislation, policy, and services across Australia.

Adoptee Rights Australia is established with the following objectives:

 * Advocate for reform of adoption legislation, policy and services so that the human rights and wellbeing of adopted persons is restored, protected and promoted.
 * Advocate for welfare checks and continued state accountability, in line with the UNCRC, for children in all forms of out-of-home care including adoption.
 * Advocate for and facilitate education activities to raise public awareness and awareness in the government/child protection and relevant service sectors of the lifelong impact of adoption, and raise support for reform of adoption legislation, policy, and services.
 * Advocate for free access by adopted persons to all legal, social, health and genetic information so that their connection to identity, family, heritage and culture can be restored, protected and promoted.
 * Participate in government legislative reviews, inquiries, investigations, studies or research to ensure the human rights and lived experience of adopted persons are included in findings and recommendations.
 * Advocate for general legislation, policy and services that respect families and restore, protect and promote the right of children to remain in their family, heritage and culture of birth.
 * Advocate to all governments, their relevant agencies and contractors to:
 * protect the safety and wellbeing of adopted children through ongoing regular welfare checks;
 * reform legislation, policy and services to restore, protect and promote the right of adopted persons to their own family, heritage and culture;
 * promote access to genetic medical history.
 * Advocate that the evidence of life-stage and life-span trauma of neonatal-maternal separation is included in the design of legislation, policy and services. Advocate for research to build an evidence base (including retrospective data linkage) on the impact of adoption across the lifespan for adopted persons.
 * Develop partnerships with other entities who share the objectives of: restoring, protecting and promoting the human rights and wellbeing of adopted persons, and; the reform of legislation, policies and services.
 * In collaboration with intercountry adoptee associations, lobby other countries regarding the negative impact of adoption on adopted people including the trauma of being permanently removed from their country of origin and their loss of cultural identity.
 * Advocate on behalf of children at risk of becoming adopted (including the un-born) and their mothers and families.
 * Develop and implement appropriate financial and fund-raising initiatives to enable the objectives of the Association to be achieved.