Government: Aussies Get Out of the Ukraine
Friday January 28, 2022

Government: Aussies Get Out of the Ukraine

Friday, January 28, 2022

The Australian Government has recommended that all Australians in the Ukraine leave the Ukraine immediately. The move comes after the build up of over 100,000 Russian troops in Russia and Belarus, all bordering Ukraine, and the high risk that Russia will invade the Ukraine.

The call by the Australian Government echoes calls by the UK and US Governments which have also called for their citizens to leave the Ukraine immediately.

Ukraine has been a popular destination for Australians undertaking surrogacy in recent years, being the second most popular destination that Australian intended parents go to, after the United States. The number of children born there via surrogacy to Australian intended parents has been significant, in the years ended 30 June, according to the Department of Home Affairs:

  • 2018: 32
  • 2019: 61
  • 2020: 50
  • 2021: 38

In the four months between 1 July 2021 and 31 October 2021 14 children were born there via surrogacy who applied for Australian citizenship by descent from the Department of Home Affairs.  The projected number of children to be born there in the current financial year is 42.

It is inevitable that there are now or will be Australian intended parents dealing with currently pregnant surrogates in the Ukraine, or Australian intended parents who have a newborn baby currently in the Ukraine.

Ukraine has remained popular for Australian intended parents for surrogacy, despite laws in some States that make it illegal to engage in commercial surrogacy overseas.

I hope that Australian intended parents, their babies and their surrogates, are safe in these awful hours.

Request an Appointment
Fill in the form below to find out if you have a claim.
Request an Appointment - Stephen Page
Things to Read, Watch & Listen
De Facto Relationship: What Counts Under Family Law?

De facto relationship: what counts under family law?

Sharing a home does not automatically make two people a de facto couple. Equally, living apart does not necessarily mean that a de facto relationship cannot exist. Under Australian family law, the question involves more than an address. The central issue is whether the couple’s relationship amounts to living together on a genuine domestic basis.… Read More »De facto relationship: what counts under family law?

Paid Egg Donation in Australia: What Can Be Reimbursed

Paid egg donation in Australia: is it legal?

Can someone be paid to donate eggs in Australia? The short answer is no. Human eggs cannot lawfully be treated as something to buy or sell. Australia permits altruistic egg donation, not commercial egg donation. But that is not the end of the story. A donor may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses associated with the… Read More »Paid egg donation in Australia: is it legal?

Egg Freezing in Prison: The High Court’s Decision in Smith

Egg Freezing in Prison: The High Court’s Decision in Smith

Does a prison sentence also mean losing the opportunity to become a parent after release? That question sits at the heart of Smith v Chief Executive, Queensland Corrective Services, a powerful High Court decision about egg freezing, fertility preservation and the limits of punishment. The High Court unanimously found that egg freezing did not fall… Read More »Egg Freezing in Prison: The High Court’s Decision in Smith

Family Law Section Law Council of Australia Award
Member of Queensland law society
Family law Practitioners Association
International Academy of Family Lawyers - IAFL
Mediator Standards Board