Page 446 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 2 March 1994
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Mr Lamont: What was the date of the letter?
MR HUMPHRIES: The copy is not dated. It was sent to me with a covering letter, so it is not dated.
Mr Lamont: When did you receive it?
MR HUMPHRIES: About a month ago. Madam Speaker, the downside of the decision that we made this time last year is evident in a letter like that. Obviously, not everybody who has experienced adoption under these new procedures will have had the same experience that these two people in Canberra have had, but it is worth noting that not all experiences with the legislation have been happy ones. In fact, some have been bitterly unhappy ones. I think it could be said that people who have had experiences like those two people from whose letter I have just read have been forgotten to some extent by the Assembly in the course of considering the legislation that we passed last year. There would be, regrettably, I suspect, other people like that out in the community. I merely say that I hope that there are not more of that kind in the community and that there are not more people with that kind of experience. Let us hope that we can consider these issues in light of those kinds of concerns in future when they arise.
Adoption Legislation
MR LAMONT (5.37): Madam Speaker, I think it behoves me to extend the sympathy of this side of the house for any pain and suffering which has been experienced by the family concerned. I think it is also incumbent upon me to recount another circumstance, one of a contrary nature to the one outlined in the letter read out by Mr Humphries. I think that to do so will provide some balance to anybody who may read this at a future time.
The experience that I speak of is of a child who was informed only very latterly in his life that he was adopted and who, under this legislation, has undertaken a similar course of action to that outlined by Mr Humphries as far as the adopted child was concerned. The experience of finding out who his biological parents were and ultimately introducing them to his adopted parents proved to be one of great joy to the adoptee. A family relationship has been established between the biological parents, who have remained married now for nearly 30 years, and the adopting parents. While the adopting parents would not, on their own initiative, have undertaken such action, and probably would not have encouraged it, the fact that a person who has reached an appropriate age and maturity to determine in their own right to seek such information now has that opportunity, I believe, far outweighs any perceived detriment. That was the debate that we had when this legislation was put through and I think it was a proper debate. I think it was acknowledged that the circumstances that Mr Humphries outlined would possibly occur in the future. The sentiments expressed by Mr Humphries were quite proper, but they need to be balanced.
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