The Court made an adoption order in favour of the child's long-term foster carer (a single male applicant), dispensed with the consent of both birth parents under s 67(1)(d) of the Adoption Act 2000 (NSW), approved a change of name, and approved and registered the maternal adoption plan while approving (but not registering) the paternal adoption plan. The judgment confirms that adoption is clearly preferable to guardianship, long-term ministerial care or restoration where the child has been in stable foster care since infancy, the birth parents have persistent domestic violence, mental health and child protection histories, and the proposed adoptive parent demonstrates exemplary caregiving capacity. The Court expressly rejected assertions that a single parent's sexual orientation bears on suitability to adopt, emphasising that parenthood turns on love, responsibility and commitment. The decision is fact-specific and does not develop new legal principle.
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