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ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
Debate grows over Australia's surrogacy laws as couples go overseas to find a baby
For Daniel and Michael Montgomery-Morgan, becoming parents wasn't easy. It took four years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring their daughter Spencer into the world. "We really questioned whether we're meant to be parents. It's not a quick process," Daniel said. Spencer, now seven months old, was born via a surrogate in Canada. "We didn't expect it would take us four years to have Spencer in our arms. [There were] lots of different things that we needed to do to accommodate the financial aspect of it." After initially looking in Australia, the couple had to go abroad to find their surrogate. "Unfortunately, we had three failed transfers, so we had to start again after two years of trying to have a baby," Michael said. He said there were multiple times when they wished their surrogate was in Australia. "When you're going through such an emotional journey … it's human nature to want to connect," Michael said. "That was a challenge for us and that's what was missing with us not being able to do this like we wanted to in Australia." For Bendigo couple Josh Paredes and Michael Vallejos, their one-year-old surrogate baby Elijah Miguel Parades-Vallejos was a miracle. "Elijah is the love of our life. He is the blessing from above. We are very thankful," Mr Vallejos said. Some of the Filipino couple's gratitude is for close friend Helyn Joy Lagman, who offered to carry their baby after one round of IVF. "We initially thought she was joking, so we ignored it. It took her three offers, then we thought, oh, she is actually serious," Mr Vallejos said. Ms Lagman already had two children of her own and said surrogacy was something she had always wanted to do and had offered to others. "I really wanted to bring something good to the world," she said. A growing number of Australian couples are going overseas to find a surrogate. According to the Australia and New Zealand Assisted Reproduction Database, 131 surrogacy babies were born in Australia and New Zealand in 2022. People working in the sector say the number could be higher. According to the Department of Home Affairs, 361 children born through international surrogacy arrangements acquired Australian citizenship in 2023-24, up from 222 in 2021-22. In Australia, commercial surrogacy — when a surrogate is paid — is illegal. Every state and territory has different laws relating to surrogacy but they all allow altruistic surrogacy, which means the surrogate's expenses are covered but no other profit or payment is made. According to the Department of Home Affairs, the United States is the most popular country for Australian couples to source surrogates, followed by Georgia, Canada, Colombia, Ukraine and Mexico. The Australian Law Review Commission is reviewing the nation's surrogacy laws and will consider how to reduce barriers to domestic altruistic surrogacy arrangements in Australia. Surrogacy lawyer Sarah Jefford believes commercial surrogacy should be allowed in Australia. "Everyone else is paid, including the lawyers, the counsellors and the clinicians," she said. Ms Jefford, who has been a surrogate, wants Australia's "patchwork" surrogacy laws managed under federal legislation. "I think uniform laws are crucial for making it more accessible but also making sure we don't have medical tourism within our own country," she said. However, some researchers and legal groups believe commercial surrogacy is unethical. Margaret Somerville, a professor of bioethics and law at the University of Notre Dame, Sydney, has researched surrogacy for decades. She said allowing commercial surrogacy in Australia would inevitably lead to exploitation. "The women who become a surrogate, they'll do it because they need the money," she said. In 2023, at a surrogacy clinic in Greece used by Australians, police arrested senior staff on charges of human trafficking, falsifying records and mistreating hundreds of women who had agreed to act as surrogates. Ten years earlier, commercial surrogacy laws in India were reversed after the discovery of so-called baby farms where 100 women were housed together for the duration of their pregnancies. A snap ban on commercial surrogacy was announced in Cambodia in 2016, resulting in the arrest of Australian nurse Tammy Davis-Charles and two Khmer associates. Ms Somerville acknowledges growing demand for surrogates, but fears introducing commercial surrogacy to Australia would put vulnerable women and children at further risk. "It's like slavery," she said. The Australian Law Reform Commission's (ALRC) review is considering issues like the complexity of surrogacy arrangements, inconsistencies in legislation and barriers to accessing surrogacy and gaining Australian citizenship for babies born abroad. This month, Queensland police confirmed they would not lay charges against a Brisbane couple who entered a $140,000 commercial surrogacy arrangement with an overseas company. Inquiries into the regulation and legislation of international and domestic surrogacy arrangements, including a 2016 House of Representatives standing committee, recommended commercial surrogacy remain illegal. New South Wales and South Australian reviews in 2018 also supported continued prohibition. The ALRC is taking submissions for its review of surrogacy laws until mid-July. The Montgomery-Morgans would love to see surrogacy become more accessible in Australia so more couples can become parents. "I think commercial surrogacy does have a place, with the right governance and controls," Daniel said. But they would want safeguards to prevent exploitation. "I would hate to see people exploited," he said. "There is a real risk of that."
ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
Volunteer shortages, rising cost of food and staff putting school canteens at risk
For many Australians their school canteen order is a lasting memory. Merryn Bailey remembers writing hers on a brown paper bag. Gabe Hanmer remembers ordering pizza pockets or chicken and rice curry. Amanda Sinclair grew up in the Northern Territory. "We had school canteen once a week on Mondays. You put your $2 in your brown paper bag and you get to choose between a meat pie and a sausage roll, and either a little carton of choccy milk or orange juice," she said. For decades, canteens or tuckshops have held a special place in Australian school life. Leanne Elliston from the Federation of Canteens in Schools (FOCIS) said the nostalgia around school canteens is unsurprising. She said for many children it's the "sheer excitement" of being able to choose what food they buy and eat, often for the first time in their lives. Canteens can also provide a safety net for busy parents who don't have time to prepare a lunch box. The canteen at Kingston Primary School in southern Tasmania is run by paid staff and volunteer parents. Pretty much everything on the menu is made from scratch, including lasagne, vegetable korma, salad wraps, toasties and apple chips. Unlike the canteens of old, party pies are only served on special occasions. Kingston Primary School's canteen coordinator, Wendy Thomson, said the canteen was a magnet for students. "They love the time to come in and count their own money, make their own choices. They all get a say in what's going into the menu, they come in and help us prepare it," Ms Thomson said. The Kingston canteen does more than just sell food, it also runs a breakfast and lunch program for kids who need it. "We have free lunches for sections of the school. They come in and sit at the table and have a hot meal," Ms Thomson said. Toasties are on hand for kids who forget their lunch or who need to eat before taking medications. There is also a constant supply of free apples from a nearby orchard. Jen Lea, a project officer from not-for-profit organisation School Food Matters said the group had been actively trying to promote healthier lunch options. "We have been working with canteens for about 30 years trying to improve the fare and encouraging schools to cook from scratch and use fresh and local seasonal produce." Despite their popularity, some school canteens are struggling to survive. The rising cost of food and a shortage of volunteers means many are cutting back the days they open or closing altogether. Many Tasmanian schools — with the exception of public, Catholic and independent schools — do not provide funding for school canteens. They're often managed by parent volunteer groups or the school might outsource the running of the canteen to an external business. The federation is calling on state and federal governments to provide money for staffing and equipment in school canteens. The federation would also like to see canteens have better access to cheaper food through bulk purchasing arrangements. "Well-fed children contribute to better educational and long-term health outcomes," Ms Elliston said. In a statement, federal Education Minister Jason Clare said an agreement with every state and territory would see a $16.5 billion investment in public education over the next decade. "This is a game changer for public education and it's a life changer for our kids at school today, kids that will be at school in the next few years, and children that aren't even born yet," he said. "This funding isn't a blank cheque. It will be tied to reforms to help kids catch up, keep up and finish school. The sort of thing that all parents expect."
ABC News
6 hours ago
- ABC News
Crocodile 'housing crisis' inspires sanctuary in Far North Queensland
A potential "housing crisis" for crocodiles has inspired one Far North Queensland grazier to build a croc sanctuary on the family farm. Removals of problem crocs from the wild have been on an upward trend since 2020 and hit a record high last year, according to data from the Queensland government. Crocodiles can live for more than 120 years in captivity and cannot legally be killed for commercial purposes once taken into captivity. So, if these trends continue, where will they all live? Cattle farmer Jesse Crampton has been busily digging out containment ponds and erecting sturdy fences on his property in Far North Queensland for the past year. The Babinda-based grazier has also worked with crocodiles for more than a decade in zoological, farming and management roles. He admits building a small croc sanctuary directly next to a herd of big, juicy bovines is rather unconventional. The "icons" he refers to are crocs longer than 4 metres which, under conservation laws, can only be placed with a registered crocodile farm or zoo that agrees to use them for education about crocodile conservation. "They can't technically be used for commercial use, so they can't be destroyed for farming aspects," he said. "So a lot of the croc farms, once they've got their stock, they've got nowhere to put these large animals." Mr Crampton already has one such tenant on the books — a "big icon fella" trapped at Lakefield on Cape York after continually wandering into people's campsites. "This animal could be 80 years old and survived that commercial shooting era. "He'd have a few stories to tell — so he was quite a significant animal for us to get for our first crocodile." In 2024, a record 77 crocodiles were removed from Queensland waters — up from 48 the previous year. Already, 37 crocs have been taken from the wild so far this year. "Our priority is to rehome all crocodiles that have been removed from the wild," a Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) spokesperson said. "Every crocodile we have offered to a suitable farm or zoo has been rehomed. "Only when environmental issues prevent us from setting traps, or animal welfare issues prevent us from being able to rehome them in suitable facilities, crocodiles are humanely euthanised." The department has not yet revealed to the ABC how many have been euthanised in the past five years. However, not everyone is convinced that the rehoming practice can continue forever. John Lever has been operating Koorana Crocodile Farm near Rockhampton since 1981 and has billeted more wild-caught crocs than he cares to count. "They're going to run out of space," he warned. "Farmers can't just take them all on. "I caught a big one up near Airlie Beach in Kelsey Creek — that was 4.8m long when I caught it in 1986, and it lived until 2020. "You get a big croc like that and think it might only live for a few years — and then it lives for another 34 years." Mr Lever intended to keep trying to find space for new crocs, but said taking on such long-term tenants was not sustainable. He predicted a day may come when "hard decisions" must be made between rehoming and euthanasing animals that interact with humans. "You can pen them in smaller pens and give them all their biological needs — feed them once a week, and give them enough room to turn around," he said. "But they're an isolated animal then. "They're just living on their own for no real purpose. "There are plenty of them out there, so it's not an issue of trying to save the last few crocs to get breeding colonies going. "I just don't think you can look after every crocodile." The Queensland Crocodile Management Plan says Queensland's estuarine crocodile population is estimated to be between 20,000 and 30,000 "non-hatchlings" — meaning greater than 60cm in length. Further north at Bloomsbury, Bredl's Wildlife Farm croc trainer Zebulon Bredl said he had received about a dozen calls in the past month with offers of new wild-caught crocs. "We're turning down a fair few," he said. "If you take two, you'd be lucky to get one or two females. "And as soon as those males hit 2.5m, you're looking at individual ponds because they start fighting." Mr Bredl said operators were not informed of a crocodile's sex before deciding whether to accept it onto their property. "That's an added risk — and if they did that, everyone would just hold off and only accept the females for breeding." Mr Bredl argued Queensland should follow the Northern Territory's model of wild egg harvesting to slow population growth. "We're nearly full — we've got 18 big fellas over 2.5m here at the moment," he said. "We can start putting in more infrastructure, but we don't need it and it's all an expense." Regulatory barriers to starting a new croc farm or sanctuary would have most people running for the hills — but not Mr Crampton. "It certainly deflated the bubble a few times," he said. The sanctuary will not produce meat or skins, but Mr Crampton has the required permits to pair crocs so fertilised eggs can be sold to commercial breeders. The facility's chief source of income will come through group training. "I've been training particularly Indigenous ranger groups to be able to manage crocs, how to handle and how to work safely alongside crocodiles," he said. Mr Crampton did not believe his modest operation would solve any future crocodile real estate crunch outright. But he was keen to play his part. "I've still got a long way to go with the croc compound, but I've got four enclosures up and running, and three crocs at the moment," he said. "It's not going to be a large-scale operation, but over time I might be able to make a dozen enclosures and house some icons." And as for the neighbours? They can rest easy in the knowledge that the barriers are very sturdy. "I mean in our cane drains and creeks and rivers and all that, there's crocs — so [the cattle] are pretty croc savvy," Mr Crampton said. "But of course I've got the crocs on the other side of the fence, so I don't have too much of an issue."
