Australian Family Lawyer - "Parental status for lesbian mothers having children through assisted conception" by Jenni Millbank

What are the available options for legal recognition of co mothers - the partners of lesbian birth mothers - in Australia? This article discusses: the availability of consent orders from the Family Court; adoption by the co parent in Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania; status of children presumptions in WA, the Northern Territory and the ACT; and birth certificates and portability in state and federal law.

[Source: Australian Family Lawyer v.19 no.1 Winter 2006: 6-11]

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NSW Parliamentary Library Research Service - "Legal Recognition of Same Sex Relationships" by Karian Anthony & Talian Drabsch

The legal recognition of same sex relationships in New South Wales continues to elicit much debate. This paper explores the various relationship recognition models; the development of same sex relationship recognition in NSW; parenting issues; the definition of marriage and the development of the law on marriage in Australia; issues relating to children; relevant provisions of international treaties; recognition of same sex relationships in other states and territories; approaches to the law on adoption and assisted reproductive technology; the legal treatment of same sex marriage in Canada, Europe, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America; human rights and equal opportunity issues in Australia; the arguments for and against same sex marriage; the arguments for and against same sex parenting; and access to assisted reproductive technologies.

[Link: Full Report]

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