Australian Family and Fertility Law

Stephen Page
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Join Award-Winning Family & Surrogacy Lawyers, Bruce Provan and Stephen Page who interviews lawyers, doctors, counsellors, parents, surrogates, scientists, donors and others who are the moving parts bringing together the ability to form families through surrogacy, and when families fall apart. Interviewees talk about their personal journeys through life, leading to their passion in their respective fields.

  1. 1d ago

    Relocating with children: what Australian family law requires

    Send us Fan Mail Under Australian family law, a parent who wants to relocate with their children — whether interstate or overseas — generally needs the other parent's consent, or risks having to fight the move through court. In this episode of the Australian Family and Fertility Law Podcast, Bruce Provan, Managing Director of Page Provan Family and Fertility Lawyers, breaks down how relocation cases actually work and what parents need to know before making a move. Bruce explains that relocation cases apply when a parent wants to move a considerable distance with their children — not simply across suburbs — and that the court's decision always comes down to the best interests of the child. He covers what happens if consent isn't given, what a court can order if a parent relocates without agreement, and why overseas moves involve an extra layer of complexity through the Hague Convention. In This Episode: What counts as a "relocation case" under Australian family lawWhether a parent needs the other parent's consent before relocating with childrenWhat can happen if you relocate without the other parent's agreementWhy courts don't always require a relocated parent to returnHow the Hague Convention affects relocation to overseas countriesWhy some Hague Convention countries don't reliably comply with itWhen exceptions — such as safety concerns from domestic violence — may change the usual approachIf you're considering relocating with your children, interstate or overseas, get tailored legal advice before you make any decisions:  https://pageprovan.com.au/ Made by Law Firm Marketing Experts, Practice Proof

  2. 4d ago

    Australian citizenship surrogacy: Home Affairs wants more proof

    Send us Fan Mail Australian parents having children through overseas surrogacy are now facing significantly more paperwork when applying for their child's Australian citizenship — and a birth certificate alone is no longer enough for the Department of Home Affairs. In this episode of the Australian Family and Fertility Law Podcast, Multi-Award Winning Surrogacy & Fertility Lawyer Stephen Page shares a trend he's observed over the past year, echoed by colleagues overseas, of steadily increasing documentation demands. Stephen explains that the Department is now frequently requesting a "certificate of genetic affinity" — a doctor's letter confirming whose sperm and egg created the embryo, the date it was transferred into the surrogate, and the child's expected due date. He walks through a real case where an Australian couple had comprehensive records from their fertility clinic, the courier company that exported their embryos overseas, and the receiving clinic — yet the application still faced pushback, because a letter from the overseas doctor was missing his signature. In This Episode: What a "certificate of genetic affinity" is and why the Department of Home Affairs is now asking for itWhy a birth certificate is no longer treated as sufficient evidence for citizenship by descent applicationsWhat the law actually requires: birth overseas on or after 26 January 1949, an Australian citizen parent, and established identityA real case where extensive clinic, courier, and embryo-export records still weren't acceptedWhy this growing documentation trend matters for anyone considering surrogacy overseasWhy being prepared with the right paperwork in advance can prevent delaysIf you're planning to have a child through overseas surrogacy, understanding these citizenship and paperwork requirements early can save significant delay and stress. Speak with our team before you begin your surrogacy journey:  https://pageprovan.com.au/ Made by Law Firm Marketing Experts, Practice Proof

  3. 6d ago

    Canada surrogacy during COVID: crossing borders to bring baby home

    Send us Fan Mail Canada surrogacy — how one family crossed closed borders during COVID to bring their daughter home, and how nutrition can shape fertility outcomes. Stephen Page, Multi-award winning surrogacy lawyer and accredited family law specialist at Page Provan, reconnects at the Growing Families Conference in Sydney with Valeria Viademonte of Via Fertility, a former client and now a fertility dietitian. In this episode: How Valeria and other intended parents crossed the closed Canadian border in 2020 with the help of a collective legal effort led by Canadian surrogacy lawyersWhy Australian citizenship applications for children born overseas were processed in days rather than weeks during the pandemicHow Valeria's own surrogacy journey led her to specialise as a fertility dietitianHow nutrition can influence egg quality, sperm quality and embryo implantationWhy the "first thousand days" — from preconception to age two — matters for long-term health through epigenetics📞 Need advice? Contact Page Provan Family & Fertility Lawyers.  🌐 https://pageprovan.com.au Made by Law Firm Marketing Experts, Practice Proof

  4. Jul 31

    International egg donation: how Australia's laws actually work

    Send us Fan Mail International egg donation — how altruistic donor eggs from Ukraine and Georgia reach Australian intended parents legally and ethically. Stephen Page, Fertility lawyer and accredited family law specialist at Page Provan, talks to Melissa Quinn, National Manager at Manor Baby, an international egg donor bank sourcing donors from Georgia and Ukraine. In this episode: How Australia's altruistic donation laws apply to overseas egg donors, and why they aren't being paid or exploitedThe extra layers of counselling international donors go through, on top of Australia's ANZICA requirementsHow family limits and future donor-conceived child rights apply even when donors are based overseasHow intended parents connect with an international egg donor bank through their IVF clinic or directlyWhy Australia's eight different state and territory IVF regulatory systems create unnecessary complexity, and the case for one national law📞 Need advice? Contact Page Provan Family & Fertility Lawyers.  🌐 https://pageprovan.com.au Made by Law Firm Marketing Experts, Practice Proof

  5. Jul 31

    Queensland adoption crisis: why no child has been adopted from care since 2019

    Send us Fan Mail Queensland adoption crisis — no child has been adopted from state care since 2019, despite a decade of legislative promises. Stephen Page, Multi-award winning surrogacy lawyer and accredited family law specialist at Page Provan, breaks down the findings of the Child Safety Inquiry by Paul Anastasio Casey, commissioned by the Queensland Government. In this episode: Why the Child Safety Inquiry found adoption has become "institutionally invisible" in QueenslandHow adoption differs from guardianship orders and Family Law Act parenting orders in giving children lifelong legal permanencyWhy fewer than 10% of children in long-term care receive the legal reviews they're entitled toHow historical forced adoption practices have wrongly discouraged contemporary adoption, despite very different legal safeguards todayWhat the inquiry recommends to restore adoption as a genuine option for children who can't go home📞 Need advice? Contact Page Provan Family & Fertility Lawyers.  🌐 https://pageprovan.com.au Made by Law Firm Marketing Experts, Practice Proof

  6. Jul 31

    Mexico surrogacy: how Babies Come True supports intended parents

    Send us Fan Mail Mexico surrogacy — how one agency supports intended parents and surrogates across the Americas. Stephen Page, Multi-award winning surrogacy lawyer and accredited family law specialist at Page Provan, talks to Mario Delgadillo from Babies Come True International, a surrogacy agency operating across Mexico, the US, Canada, Colombia and Argentina, at the Growing Families Conference in Sydney. In this episode: How Babies Come True supports intended parents from around the world through their surrogacy journey in Mexico and across the AmericasWhy some intended parents return for a second or third surrogacy journey using frozen embryosHow surrogates are supported with 24/7 psychological and medical care throughout the processHow Mexico's Supreme Court ruling protects surrogates through fair agreements, independent legal advice and bodily autonomyPractical advice for intended parents starting their surrogacy journey, including why there's no single "best" agency or clinic📞 Need advice? Contact Page Provan Family & Fertility Lawyers.  🌐 https://pageprovan.com.au Made by Law Firm Marketing Experts, Practice Proof

  7. Jul 30

    Queensland sperm donor family limits explained

    Send us Fan Mail  Queensland Health family limits — why lesbian couples using donor sperm are being counted as two separate families, not one. Stephen Page, Fertility lawyer and accredited family law specialist at Page Provan, breaks down a growing controversy in Queensland over how donor sperm family limits are applied to lesbian couples. In this episode: Why Queensland Health is treating married and de facto lesbian couples as separate "families" under donor sperm limitsHow this compares to New South Wales, where a 5-family cap has driven donor sperm costs from $2,000 to $60,000What the Assisted Reproductive Technology Act 2024 (Qld) s25 actually says about who counts as a "family"Why the Family Law Act and Status of Children Act already recognise both partners as legal parentsWhat affected couples can do, and why this needs to be fixed by the Queensland Health Minister📞 Need advice? Contact Page Provan Family & Fertility Lawyers.  🌐 https://pageprovan.com.au Made by Law Firm Marketing Experts, Practice Proof

  8. Jul 30

    Colombia surrogacy: inside the process with local experts

    Send us Fan Mail Colombia surrogacy — how intended parents, lawyers and IVF clinics work together to build families. Stephen Page, Multi-award winning surrogacy lawyer and accredited family law specialist at Page Provan, sits down at the Growing Families Conference in Sydney with Colombian surrogacy lawyer Santiago Martínez of Martínez Díaz and fertility specialist Natalia Manjarres of Inser, Colombia. In this episode: How a landmark case against the Colombian government helped shape surrogacy protections todayWhy Colombia has become a popular destination for international intended parents, including many from China and AustraliaHow Inser and other Colombian IVF clinics use advanced technology like AI-assisted sperm and embryo selectionHow surrogates are vetted, matched and supported throughout the surrogacy processA response to UN concerns about surrogacy exploitation, and why "aligned expectations" matter 📞 Need advice? Contact Page Provan Family & Fertility Lawyers. 🌐 https://pageprovan.com.au Made by Law Firm Marketing Experts, Practice Proof

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Join Award-Winning Family & Surrogacy Lawyers, Bruce Provan and Stephen Page who interviews lawyers, doctors, counsellors, parents, surrogates, scientists, donors and others who are the moving parts bringing together the ability to form families through surrogacy, and when families fall apart. Interviewees talk about their personal journeys through life, leading to their passion in their respective fields.

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