Assisted Reproductive Technology and Surrogacy Act
718. Mr Stuart Aubrey to the Premier:
I refer to the Cook Labor government's commitment to creating more inclusive communities.
(1) Can the Premier update the house on the recent passage of the Assisted Reproductive Technology and Surrogacy Act 2025?
(2) Can the Premier also advise what this means for Western Australians who want the opportunity to start the families they have been dreaming of?
Mr Roger Cook replied:
I thank the member for Scarborough for his question. I also thank the member for the powerful contribution that he made in this debate when the bill passed the Legislative Assembly. He said in his contribution:
This legislation is not just a legal change that removes barriers to access surrogacy in WA; it is a shift in what I can even imagine for my future.
Those succinct words summarise why the WA Labor government sought to change laws around who can and cannot be a parent.
The passing of the Assisted Reproductive Technology and Surrogacy Act 2025 closes another chapter in Western Australia's march towards equality. It is for any Western Australian who has ever been told that they do not belong. It is for anyone who has ever been denied the right to build a family because of who they are, how they identify or who they love. It is for anyone who wants a state community that is fair, safe, inclusive and compassionate. At their core, these laws will make it easier for Western Australians to start to grow their families. They will open IVF and surrogacy to same-sex couples, intersex and transgender people and singles, and they will bring WA into line with other jurisdictions including Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland.
The member for Scarborough is just one of the thousands of voices that have contributed to this topic over many years, but there are so many others, like Paul Hadfield-Jia of Rainbow Families who spoke to Nadia Mitsopoulos on ABC radio this morning about what this means to his family. Mr Hadfield-Jia described his elation over these laws passing. It means that both he and his husband will be legally recognised as the parents of both their children, who were born via surrogacy overseas. Their children, Samantha and Harrison, were born overseas because the option was not available in Western Australia. Our new laws tear down the unnecessary barriers that stood in the path of prospective parents. The legislation modernises access to fertility treatment, surrogacy, genetic testing and donor information. It cuts red tape and opens doors that should never have been closed in the first place. It reflects the simple truth—that loves makes a family.
I thank members in the house for their constructive and respectful contributions during this debate and for helping provide a future of hope for thousands of Western Australians.
