- The ACT government has introduced a bill to update the territory's surrogacy laws, which it described are the country's most regressive
- The changes would allow single parents to have a child via surrogate, and no longer require an intended parent to have a genetic connection to the child
- Advertising for an altruistic surrogate would also be allowed under the bill, but commercial surrogacy would remain illegal
"There's a lot of intended parents out there who want a surrogate, but far fewer surrogates."
"Increasingly the ACT has been falling behind the other states and the Northern Territory with regard to its surrogacy laws,"Human Rights Minister Tara Cheyne said.
"Changing those laws does provide for some more flexibility, it does allow for intended parents to cast a bit of a wider net."
"It's easier to go overseas and engage in surrogacy than to do it here in Australia,"Ms Jefford said.