Doing a bit of research this morning and revisiting old documents. When read after a period of years since the last reading it's interesting what stands out.
From the Tasmanian Adoption of Children Act 1920
Adoption of
female child.
3 On the application, in writing, in the prescribed form, to a police
I. Husband and wife jointly ; or by
II. A married woman alone, but with the written consent of her
husband ; or by
III. Any unmarried woman or a widow who is in the opinion of
the police magistrate at least Eighteen years older than
the child ; or by
IV. Any unmarried man or a widower who is in the opinion of
the police magistrate at least Forty years older than the
child -
an
order of adoption of a female child may be made by the police magistrate in favour of the applicant in the prescribed form and subject to
the provisions of this Act.
By whom male
child may be adopted.
4 On the application, in writing, in the prescribed form, to a police
I. Husband and wife jointly ; or by
II. A married man alone, but with the written consent of his
wife ; or by
III. Any unmarried man or a widower who is in the opinion of
the police magistrate at least Eighteen years older than
the child ; or by
iv. Any unmarried woman or a widow who is in the opinion
of the police magistrate at least Thirty years older than the
child -
an
order of adoption of a male child may be made by the police magistrate
in favour of the applicant in the prescribed form and subject to the
provisions of this Act.
While their is mention of minimum age for single adoptive parents, there is no mention of an upper age and there are no age barriers for married couples.
This information may be of interest to any person who believes they were adopted by a married couple outside, or older than, the specified age guidelines and where this belief has led them to assume money changed hands to facilitate this, as such legislated guidelines were non-existent.
applicant.
ReplyDeleteParental Age Limit
In all matters of adoption, the
child's welfare was the paramount
consideration. The age limit for
people wishing to adopt children
from birth had been fixed at 45Fix this text
years for women and 50 years for
men. • This was adjusted according
to the child's age,
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/52604159?searchTerm=adoption+of++babies+tasmania&searchLimits=l-category%3DArticle
ReplyDelete