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Adoption in Australia: Then and now (1971 vs 2024–25)

Why did adoption in Australia drop by 98% since 1971?

1 min read by Pip Baume

I was adopted in Sydney NSW in 1971 – a decade when adoption in Australia looked vastly different to what it does today. Looking back at the numbers, the policies, and the practices, it’s clear that adoption has undergone a significant transformation over the past 50 years.

Let’s take a look at how adoption then compares to adoption now.

1971-72: A different era of adoption

Between 1971 and 1972, almost 10,000 children were adopted in Australia (AIHW Adoptions Australia 2024-25 report) – the highest number ever recorded. Adoption was far more common, and the social, legal, and cultural landscape surrounding it was very different to today.

This period is often referred to as the ‘forced adoption era.’ The 2012 Senate Inquiry into Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policies and Practices (Research on forced adoption) found that forced adoption and the removal of children was widespread, “particularly common between 1951 and 1975,” with an estimated 140,000 to 150,000 total adoptions in that period and many mothers – particularly young, single, or unwed women – were coerced or pressured into relinquishing their babies under circumstances that were unethical and harmful. In 2013, then–Prime Minister Julia Gillard delivered the National Apology for Forced Adoptions (Forced adoption), formally recognising this painful legacy.

But it’s also important to recognise that not every adoption during this era was forced. Some birth mothers or birth parents made considered, informed decisions. Some adoptions were arranged within families or through trusted networks. Every adoption story from this era is unique.

The weight birth parents carried

Even though not all adoptions during this era were forced, that doesn’t make the experience any easier for the birth parents who lived through it. For many, relinquishing a child was a heart-wrenching decision – one made under difficult circumstances and carried quietly for the rest of their lives.

While much of the public conversation has focused on birth mothers – and rightly so, given the unique trauma many of them experienced – it’s also true that decisions about adoption weren’t always made by mothers alone. Sometimes it was a couple, or 2 individuals, or families, making the decision together. Some couples went on to have children together later in life and keep them, while still carrying the loss of the child they had relinquished. And in many cases, birth fathers wanted to be involved but were denied a voice – or, as Julia Gillard acknowledged in the 2013 National Apology (Forced adoption), “excluded from the lives of your children and deprived of the dignity of recognition on your children’s birth records.” Some birth fathers also chose to not have their name recorded on the birth certificate.

Many birth parents made the decision they believed was in the best interests of their child. They hoped their baby would have a better life – more stability, more opportunity, more than they felt they could offer at the time.

But hope is not the same as knowing. And so many were left wondering: Did my child have a better life? Was it the right decision?

Unless a reunion happens, that question can remain unanswered for a lifetime. It’s a kind of grief that doesn’t always have a name – and it deserves to be acknowledged.

Why did adoption numbers fall so dramatically?

The election of the Whitlam Government in December 1972 marked the start of a period of immense social and legislative change in Australia. Several reforms in quick succession reshaped the lives of women and dramatically reduced the number of adoptions.

In May 1973, the Whitlam Government introduced the Supporting Mother’s Benefit (Find & Connect - Supporting Mother’s Benefit), providing income support to single mothers for the first time. According to Find & Connect, this payment “made it possible for many single mothers to keep their children and played a significant role in adoption rates declining dramatically in Australia after 1973.”

Just weeks after taking office, on 8 December 1972 (PM Transcripts - Press Statement No. 6, 8 December 1972), the Whitlam Government lifted the 27% sales tax on oral contraceptives and announced that oral contraceptives prescribed by a doctor would become available as pharmaceutical benefits – giving women, for the first time, affordable access to reliable contraception.

Combined with changing social attitudes, declining birth rates, and the reducing stigma of single parenthood, these reforms gave women – for the first time – genuine financial, legal, and reproductive autonomy. Adoption ceased to be the default outcome for an unplanned pregnancy.

The shift toward open adoption

From the mid-1980s, Australian states began amending adoption legislation to reflect the growing recognition that secrecy in adoption could be harmful. The earlier era of ‘closed adoption’ had been based on the ‘clean break’ theory (AIHW - Adoptions in Australia over time, Post-war period: Closed adoptions and forced separation) – which assumed early separation of mother and baby would safeguard the welfare of the child.

In NSW, the Adoption Information Act 1990 was a turning point – giving adoptees and birth parents greater access to information, including original birth certificates. It was later replaced by the Adoption Act 2000 (NSW DCJ - Reunion and Information Register), which remains in force today.

Today, NSW also issues Integrated Birth Certificates (NSW DCJ - Finding information on past adoptions) – a legal document showing both the birth and adoptive families of an adopted person – supporting every adopted child’s right to know their origins.

Why did adoption in Australia drop by 98% since 1971?

The decline is driven by a combination of factors:

  • The Whitlam Government’s Supporting Mother’s Benefit (Find & Connect - Supporting Mother’s Benefit) (1973) gave single mothers more choice and support
  • The Whitlam Government’s removal of the sales tax on oral contraceptives and their addition to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PM Transcripts - Press Statement No. 6, 8 December 1972) in December 1972
  • Changing social attitudes and declining birth rates
  • Open adoption legislation in the 1980s and 1990s reshaped how adoption was practised
  • Intercountry adoption has declined significantly due to long processing times (a median wait of around 4 years) and ethical considerations.

I didn’t have access to my original birth certificate until after the laws changed in 1990. Before that, the system was closed – and even after the laws changed, it wasn’t straightforward.

The Adoption Information Act came with contact vetoes. If you went through official channels and discovered your birth parent had lodged a veto, you couldn’t legally contact them. But if you found them on your own – outside official channels – you could make contact, because you didn’t officially know whether they had a veto.

There were a few paths available:

  • The ‘Adoption Triangle’ – now known as the Reunion and Information Register (RIR) (NSW DCJ - Reunion and Information Register), originally established in 1976 as the Adopted Persons Contact Register. It’s a passive register: if both adoptee and birth parent register, a match is created. More than 30,000 people have joined, and over 6,000 reunions have been facilitated (Reunion and Information Register).
  • Non-identifying information – adoptees could apply for information that didn’t directly identify their birth family. In my case, this included where I was born, the date and time of my birth, the type of birth, and some social information about my birth family.
  • Searching independently – which is the path I ultimately took. I found my birth mother before the 1990 laws came into effect.

I was hesitant to use the legislation precisely because of the vetoes. There was something uncomfortable about a system that could give you information but take away your ability to act on it.

It’s also worth mentioned that access to information for birth fathers(NSW DCJ - Access to information for birth fathers) can be particularly difficult, because their names were often not recorded on official documents.

2024-25: Adoption today

Fast forward to 2024-25 – the landscape is almost unrecognisable.

Intercountry adoptions have declined significantly – from a peak of 434 in 2004-05 to 19 in 2024-25, a 96% decline.

Compared with the peak of 9,798 adoptions in 1971-72, adoption numbers have fallen by 98%.

Final ponderings

When I think about being adopted in 1970s Sydney, I think about how my story is one of thousands – each one different, each one shaped by the people, policies, and circumstances of the time. My adoption wasn’t forced, and I know that’s true for others as well. But it’s also true that many mothers, fathers, and adoptees from that era carry deep wounds, and their experiences deserve to be heard and honoured.

The shift from closed to open adoption – and the dramatic fall in adoption numbers – reflects a society that has learned, and is still learning, to better support mothers, fathers, adoptees, and families with honesty and care.

The numbers tell one story. The lived experiences – in all their variety – tell many more. All of them matter.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be diving deeper into each part of this story – from the numbers and the legislation to the personal experience of searching for a birth family. Follow along, or subscribe to be notified when each new post is live.

References

For support: Forced Adoption Support Service – 1800 21 03 13

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