Adoption Act 2000

An adopted person is entitled to receive (subject to this Act)—

the person’s original birth certificate, and

the person’s integrated birth certificate if a record of the adoption of the person is registered under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1995, and

the person’s adopted person’s birth record, and

any prescribed information relating to the person’s birth parents held by an information source, and

any prescribed information relating to a sibling or an adopted brother or sister of the person held by an information source.

Despite subsection (1) (a), an intercountry adopted person is entitled to receive his or her original birth certificate only if such a certificate is held by an information source.

An adopted person who is less than 18 years of age is not entitled to receive his or her original birth certificate, integrated birth certificate, adopted person’s birth record or prescribed information except with the consent of—

his or her surviving adoptive parents and surviving birth parents (as shown on the original birth certificate, integrated birth certificate or adopted person’s birth record), or

the Secretary if there are no surviving adoptive parents or birth parents (as so shown) or if they cannot be found or if there is, in the opinion of the Secretary, any other sufficient reason to dispense with their consent.

An adopted person is not entitled to receive any prescribed information held by an information source unless the adopted person produces to the information source an authority authorising the information source to supply the prescribed information issued by the Secretary.