The number of adoptions in Australia has
dropped 23 per cent in the past year.
Image: iStockphoto

Since the early 1970s, there has been a 22-fold decrease in the number of adoptions in Australia, according to a report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

'The number of adoptions has fallen from a high of 9,798 in 1971-72 to 440 in 2007-08. This is the smallest number of adoptions recorded since 1969-70 and a 23 per cent decline from just one year ago when there were 568 adoptions,' said report author Nicole Hunter.

'This one-year decline may be part of the normal variation in adoptions over the last decade,' she said.

According to the report, Adoptions Australia 2007-08, the overall decline in adoptions in the past 25 years can be attributed to a fall in the number of Australian children adopted.

'In contrast, intercountry adoptions have emerged as the dominant category of adoptions; steadily increasing over the last 25 years to represent 61 per cent of all adoptions in 2007-08, compared with just 6 per cent 25 years ago,' Ms Hunter said.

Of the 440 adoptions in 2007-08, 61 per cent were intercountry, 16 per cent were local and 23 per cent were 'known' child adoptions.

For 'known' child adoptions, 67 per cent were by step-parents and 26 per cent were by carers.

Over half of all intercountry adoptions were from three countries: China (23 per cent), South Korea (17 per cent) and the Philippines (15 per cent).

'Nearly all children, in both local and intercountry adoptions, were less than 5 years old (99 per cent and 92 per cent respectively), whereas for 'known' child adoptions, most (69 per cent) of the children were 10 years of age or older,' Ms Hunter said.

Agreements made at the time of adoption indicate that the great majority (77 per cent) of local adoptions are now open adoptions, meaning the birth parents have agreed to some contact and/or information exchange.

Only 96 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have been adopted over the last 17 years, and just four Indigenous children were adopted in 2007-08.