Thursday, 30 October 2025

 Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (23:09): (2068) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Health, and the action I seek is for an assurance that parents and donor-conceived children will no longer be left behind following the dissolution of the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority. Late last year this government introduced the Health Legislation Amendment (Regulatory Reform) Bill 2024. Legalise Cannabis Victoria did not support this bill. As a donor-conceived person, I had concerns about plans to dissolve the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority, known as VARTA. This world-leading service was responsible for regulating fertility clinics to protect the best interests of people receiving treatment, and their children. VARTA also provided community education and ensured people involved in donor conception were informed and had their connection preferences respected. Unfortunately, despite our opposition, the bill passed, and from 1 January this year the management of Victoria’s donor conception register transferred to the Department of Health. The Department of Health provide an assurance on their website that:

During this transition period the Department will work to minimise impacts on registry applicants however there

What comes next is unclear as this part of their website, ironically, is incomplete.

When we first debated this bill, I mentioned my concerns that this decision was a Trojan Horse for cost cutting, and to date we have not been proven wrong. Since these changes, we have seen a series of disturbing bungles from IVF providers. I have also been contacted personally by a parent whose donor-conceived son has been caught up in the transition. Their son was 16 when they decided to apply to be on the voluntary register to begin the process of contacting their donor and any of their donor siblings. Their son is now 18, and despite several follow-ups they have not heard from the department. This delay has left both parent and son feeling seriously anxious and as if they have been forgotten about in the transition process. While it is not unexpected that this transition could cause delays, almost two years of radio silence is simply not good enough. So I ask: will the minister provide an assurance that parents and their donor-conceived children will no longer be left behind following the dissolution of the Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority?