Historical forced adoptions - WA Inquiry and Government Response

The Government acknowledges the extraordinary courage and determination of the many mothers, fathers, adopted people and their families who shared their experiences throughout the Inquiry as well as the many people who were unable to participate in the Inquiry but continue to carry the trauma of their experience with them.

On 22 October 2024, the Government provided a formal response to the Report and the 36 recommendations directed to Government, confirming its support for 19 recommendations to address the impact of past forced adoptions.

Among the supported recommendations is the establishment of a Western Australian Forced Adoption Reference Group which has a central role in supporting the implementation of the Government Response.

The Reference Group includes individuals with direct lived experience of forced adoption and representatives from local peer support groups. More information can be found on the Western Australian Forced Adoption Reference Group webpage.

Other supported recommendations include improving access to adoption information and records, the introduction of integrated birth certificates, improvements to public awareness, service design improvements and the repeal of contact and mediation licenses.

View the Government’s Response to Report 66 - Broken Bonds, Fractured Lives: report on the inquiry into past forced adoption in Western Australia (PDF, 332KB)

On 22 October 2025, the Government released the First Annual Implementation Progress Report of the Government Response to Report 66 – Broken Bonds, Fractured Lives.

In the first 12 months of implementation, 75 per cent of recommendations have either been completed or are underway. Seven of the initial 19 supported recommendations have been completed. Work has progressed on a further 20 recommendations that were either supported or for further consideration.

Important changes have been made to improve awareness of and access to information and records, increased transparency in adoption data and provision of information on the legislation, improved awareness of available mental health and support services, and improved consistency in service delivery.

Following a review of four recommendations regarding the conversion of existing contact vetoes into statements of objection, the Government has finalised its position and supports these recommendations. The implementation of these recommendations will be included in a proposed suite of amendments to the Adoption Act 1994. People impacted by the reforms will be provided referrals to specialised counselling services to support them through the transition.

The change of status of the contact veto recommendations and one other recommendation related to adoption records increases the number of recommendations supported by the Government from 19 to 24.

Eight recommendations remain for further consideration. In the last year, policy work has been progressed on four of these.

View the First Annual Implementation Progress Report of the Government Response to Report 66 – Broken Bonds, Fractured Lives.

The Second Annual Implementation Progress Report was tabled in Parliament on 22 October 2026, marking two years since the release of the Government Response to Report 66 – Broken Bonds, Fractured Lives.

The Second Progress Report provides detail on the progress of recommendations since the tabling of the Government Response to the Inquiry into Forced Adoptions in October 2024.

In the 12 months since the release of the First Annual Implementation Progress Report last October, a further three recommendations have been completed.
This takes the total number of completed recommendations to 10.

Completed recommendations include: the introduction of amendments to the legislation to enable Integrated Birth Certificates (Recommendation 11), aligned with the WA Government’s commitment to open adoption; a public awareness campaign to bring awareness to the history and impacts of forced adoption (Recommendation 19); and Recommendation 24, relating to contact vetoes and the Department of Communities contacting affected parties and providing updated information about the decriminalisation amendments and available counselling and support services.

Important progress has been made to improve access to adoption information. Regulation 86 of the Adoption Regulations 1995 has been deleted to improve access to Family Court records.

Funding has also been allocated to enable the digitisation of records, which will improve access, record quality and enable long term preservation.
The Second Progress Report also details substantial progress achieved across a broad range of recommendations, establishing the foundations necessary for reform.

The WA Forced Adoption Reference Group have continued to provide significant and valuable contributions, across a range of recommendations.

View the Second Annual Implementation Progress Report of the Government Response to Report 66 – Broken Bonds, Fractured Lives.

The Department of Communities is the government agency coordinating the implementation of recommendations from the Government Response. The Department of Communities’ Forced Adoptions Inquiry Implementation team are happy to speak with you or provide more information about:

• The Government Response and Implementation Progress Reports
• Requesting a hard copy of the Government Response or Implementation Progress Reports
• Registering your interest in updates on the progress of implementation of the Government Response
• Registering your interest in updates on the progress of the Western Australian Forced Adoption Reference Group or other opportunities that may arise for consultation.

Please contact the team on 0403 137 530 or via forcedadoptionsinquiry@communities.wa.gov.au