Despite good intentions, volunteers and donors from Australia and the larger international community are supporting orphanages separating children from their families. Australia is seeking to curb support for orphanages in countries like Cambodia, where the trafficking of children into orphanages is a common practice. 

On 17 August 2017, the Australian Foreign Affairs and Aid Sub-Committee was briefed by representatives from the Cambodian Children’s Trust and Forget Me Not Foundation on the issue of orphanage tourism. This link includes a video of the opening statements from this briefing.

This interim report from the Parliament of Australia's Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade presents its recommendations on the adoption of a Modern Slavery Act in Australia, with consideration to the trafficking, forced labor and child exploitation through orphanage tourism. 

In September, a parliamentary committee will submit an interim report on the proposed Modern Slavery Act in Australia, which could criminalize the practice of organizing orphanage trips overseas. 

A parliamentary committee sitting in Canberra is considering adding a world-first clause in a Modern Slavery Act aiming to cut the supply of Australian money to foreign child care institutions and redirect it to help reintegrate children into their home communities; the clause would also make it a criminal offense for Australians to visit foreign orphanages. 

Amendements to the 2015 Australian Border Force Act, which previously threatened immigration detention centre workers with two years in prison if they spoke out about neglect or abuse, have been introduced.

This study examined the way adoption of children from out-of-home care is understood by the professionals involved in making decisions about their permanent care placements in Victoria, Australia. 

This study consulted with young people in Australia about their perspectives on what makes residential care safe and how safety could be improved within residential care. 

This article describes the findings of a four-year study with a cohort of children in out-of-home care in New South Wales and their experiences with the criminal justice system. 

The Create Foundation is carrying out a survey to record the experiences and perspectives of young people who have lived in Australia's care system.