Callout for gay dads
Sunday March 6, 2016

Callout for gay dads

Sunday, March 06, 2016
Surrogacy in Australia is still a recent phenomenon.  Even though my first surrogacy case was as long ago as 1988, surrogacy in Australia really did not take off until about 2010, with law changes in the eastern States. The average surrogacy journey takes between 18 months and 2 years, and up to 4 years. In some States, there are very few surrogacies. For example, in Tasmania, there is only one known completed surrogacy through the IVF clinic. Research from a couple of years ago highlighted that for every domestic surrogacy, another 11 couples went overseas instead.

For fertility counsellors, this has been  for many a very steep learning curve. I am lucky that I deal with surrogacy cases day in, day out, from across the country and across the globe. Very few fertility counsellors have that day to day exposure to surrogacy and are learning as they are going.

Most fertility counsellors have had plenty of experience helping childless straight couples- but much less experience helping gay couples. This is no criticism of them, it’s just the nature of the territory and our changing world.

In June there will be a meeting in Brisbane for fertility counsellors, run by the Australian and New Zealand Infertility Counsellors Association. The organisor wants gay dads or gay intended dads- who have either completed, planned or intended to undertake the surrogacy journey-  to speak with the fertility counsellors at the meeting.

If you are interested, please email me at spage@harringtonfamilylawyers.com , and I’ll put you in contact with the organisor.

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Practical Family Law Drafting: Stephen Page’s Legalwise Intensive Paper

Stephen Page, Director at Page Provan Family and Fertility Lawyers, presented at the Legalwise Practical Family Law Drafting Intensive on 25 February 2026, delivering expert guidance on drafting interim property and maintenance applications. As Australia’s leading surrogacy lawyer and an Accredited Family Law Specialist since 1996, Stephen brings decades of frontline experience to family law… Read More »Practical Family Law Drafting: Stephen Page’s Legalwise Intensive Paper

International Surrogacy Parentage: Why Children Need a Global Convention

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International surrogacy is a global reality. Advances in assisted reproductive technology, combined with cross-border family formation, mean children are being born through surrogacy in jurisdictions with very different laws and values. That diversity creates a legal and human-rights problem: how can the parentage and identity of these children be protected consistently and quickly across borders?… Read More »Can Children Born Through Surrogacy Have Secure Parentage Worldwide?

Human Rights Act Australia: Why IVF & Surrogacy Need Statutory Protection

Why Australia Needs a Human Rights Act

Australia prides itself on fairness and the rule of law, yet it remains the only western common law country without a national Human Rights Act or bill of rights. That absence is not merely theoretical. It has practical, often profound consequences for people navigating assisted reproductive treatment, IVF and surrogacy. The legal gap and why… Read More »Why Australia Needs a Human Rights Act

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