Friday the 13th Brought GOOD luck for Overseas Surrogacy Families! Artwork

Australian Family and Fertility Law

Join Award-Winning Family & Surrogacy Lawyers, Bruce Provan and Stephen Page who interviews lawyers, doctors, counsellors, parents, surrogates, scientists, donors and others who are the moving parts bringing together the ability to form families through surrogacy, and when families fall apart. Interviewees talk about their personal journeys through life, leading to their passion in their respective fields.

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Australian Family and Fertility Law

Friday the 13th Brought GOOD luck for Overseas Surrogacy Families!

July 18, 2025 • Stephen Page • Season 1 • Episode 139

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December 13, 2024 marked a historic turning point for Australian families who've had children through overseas surrogacy. Family lawyer Stephen Page reveals how a seemingly "boring" regulation change has automatically recognized the parentage of thousands of children - without needing complex legal proceedings!

What changed on Black Friday 2024:

New Family Law Regulations 2024 replaced the outdated 1984 version
Section 69R now recognizes parents named on birth certificates from prescribed overseas jurisdictions
Automatic presumption of parentage - no more legal uncertainty!

Countries now recognized include: Brazil, Canada (except Quebec), Colombia, Denmark, Greece, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, UK, and USA.

This affects families who've pursued surrogacy in these destinations since 2014 (and even earlier). If you're named on your child's birth certificate from these countries, you're automatically presumed to be the legal parent under Australian law.

Why this matters: Previously, this provision was a "dead letter" - it existed but no countries were prescribed. Now thousands of families have instant legal recognition!