HAGUE ADOPTION CONVENTION: AUSTRALIAN RESPONSE TO

UNCLAS CANBERRA 000800 SIPDIS BILL BISTRANSKY; JEAN LOUIS CA/OCS/CI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KOCI CASC CVIS CMGT ADCO SUBJECT: HAGUE ADOPTION CONVENTION: AUSTRALIAN RESPONSE TO IAA 102 (B) (2) ANNUAL LETTER FOR HOST GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY REF: STATE 80749 ¶1. (U) August 6, consoff presented Vicki Parker, Assistant Secretary, Intercountry Adoption Branch, Access to Justice Division, Australian Government, Attorney-General's Department, with the USG's Annual Letter on the Hague Adoption Convention. On August 19,the Consular Section received the following reply from Vicki Parker. ¶2. (U) Begin text of reply: As the Australian Central Authority under the Hague Convention, the Attorney-General's Department is responsible for managing Australia's intercountry adoption programs. Although Australia is party to the Hague Convention, it is a receiving country only and does not have an outgoing intercountry adoption program, unless exceptional circumstances apply e.g. a child's relatives overseas are seeking to adopt. As the number of Australian families seeking to adopt far outstrips the number of local children needing families, the government is unable to support outgoing intercountry adoptions. End text. ¶3. (U) Ms Parker also noted that she had provided the U.S. Consulate in Sydney with a fact sheet, which is now available from the State Department's website at: . ¶4. (U) Further information about the Australian Government's work on intercountry adoption issues can be found at . CLUNE