Rainbow Families Council has developed a statement outlining three key
issues for rainbow families and children with same sex parents that we
believe need to be addressed on a Federal level

Inquiry into the past and present practices of donor conception in Australia. Rainbow Families Council will be making a submission on behalf of our members to the inquiry and we encourage you to do the same.

VARTA newsletter July 2010 - news of new resources, seminars, inquiries into donor conception. Download below or see www.varta.org.au

"Different Families - The experiences of children with lesbian and gay parents" July 2010 Stonewall in the UK have released the following report based on interviews conducted by the University of Cambridge with 80 children of lesbian and gay parents:

Roughly 7,300 children and youth in Germany live in households with two mothers or two fathers. As part of the first study on daily life in these rainbow families, 700 parents and children were surveyed from Germany's same-sex domestic partnerships.

The Age (14 June 2010) reports on a new study published in the online edition of the journal Pediatrics on June 7, in which researchers found children born to and raised by lesbian couples were better off socially, academically and more competent than their peers.

Newswise reports on the first study ever to examine the experiences of gay male partners who became fathers via surrogacy shows that they are more likely than heterosexual fathers to scale back their careers in order to care for their children. Also, these fathers report that their self-esteem and their closeness with their extended families increases after becoming parents. The research was undertaken by psychology researchers from the Rockway Institute in the USA.

Summary of activities of RFC's co-convenors for 2009

Read updates on law reform and RFC activities in the Newsletter November 2009

What has RFC been up to so far in 2009? Here's a description of the activities of the Rainbow Families Council.

Law reform that will remove discrimination for same sex couples in accessing Assisted Reproductive Technology and will provide legal recognition for our families has been passed by Victorian Parliament! The Assisted Reproductive Treatment Bill was passed by the Upper House on 4 Dec. The RFC will be providing more information on what the changes mean for our families and prospective families shortly.

Legislation to recognise same-sex parents and allow access to ART services for all women was passed in the lower house on 9th October. 

Jacqui Tomlins' opinion piece was published in The Age on 12th August 2008.

Rainbow Families Council receives grant from Darebin Council for new resource.

Legislation is due in Victorian Parliament in mid-August 2008 that will recognise same-sex parented families and will remove barriers to fertility treatment services. But with both the ALP and Liberals allowing a conscience/free vote on the issue, we need to convince every single Member of Parliament (MP) to support reform. ACT NOW to show your support - see Rainbow Family Photo Campaign. Read the post below for the Government's statement from Dec '07 in which it committed to reforms.

On Friday 14 December 2007 the Victorian Government released a statement in which it committed to reforms on Assisted Reproductive Technology and Adoption to "better protect children and provide certainty for Victorian families," said Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls. Click on "Read More" for the full text of the Government's statement.

Rainbow Families Council and the Love Makes a Family campaign today welcomed the final report and recommendations of the Victorian Law Reform Commission Enquiry as a very positive step toward equality for same-sex parented children and their families, and urged the Victorian Government to turn the recommendations into legislation as soon as is practicable.

The Victorian Law Reform Commission handed its final report of its Enquiry into Assisted Reproductive Technology and Adoption to Victorian Attorney General Rob Hulls on 30 March 2007.