The year 1990 saw the enactment of adoption information legislation in Queensland (May 1990) and New South Wales (October 1990), the last of the Australian states to grant rights of access to information. Queensland, sometimes referred to as ‘the deep north’, is customarily seen as the most conservative of the states, so there was considerable surprise that such legislation should have passed through the Queensland Parliament unimpeded, with acclaim from all parties. Margaret McDonald reports.
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References
1.
Accessing adoption information, Report of the NSW Legislative Council Standing Committee on Social Issues, 1989.
2.
SwainP, ‘Adoption information services-myths and realities’ and Meggitt M, ‘To know one's child: The relinquishing mother's dilemma’ in To search for self edited by PhillipShirleySwain, Federation Press, 1992.
3.
McPheeG, ‘Testing adoption assumptions through legislation’ in To search for self, edited by PhillipShirleySwain, Federation Press, 1992.
4.
IwanekM, ‘Access to adult adoption information’ inAccessing adoption information, Report of the NSW Legislative Council Standing Committee on Social Issues, 1989.
