Advocating for lifelong rights, accountability and systemic change
Since 1998, InterCountry Adoptee Voices (ICAV) has represented intercountry adoptees in Australian policy discussions, advocating for lifelong rights, support, access to records and origins, and accountability for historical adoption practices. This page documents our advocacy, government engagement, achievements and outstanding concerns.
Current Advocacy · Our Priorities · Australian Statistics · Advocacy Timeline · Outcomes & Gaps
Current Australian Advocacy
2025 | Ongoing
Historical South Korea-Australia Intercountry Adoption Investigation
ICAV is participating alongside three other adoptee-led organisations in consultation concerning Australia’s investigation into historical South Korea–Australia intercountry adoptions.
Our role is to support meaningful adoptee participation and advocate for transparency, independence, privacy protections, access to records and appropriate government accountability.
While this investigation focuses on South Korea, ICAV continues to advocate for a comprehensive national response to historical intercountry adoption practices involving adoptees from all birth countries.
What ICAV Advocates For in Australia
Truth & Accountability
We advocate for independent and transparent investigations into historical intercountry adoption practices, meaningful adoptee participation, access to evidence and clear accountability for government and institutional failures.
Identity & Records
We advocate for the preservation and full release of adoption records, access to origins and family information, and practical pathways for adoptees to restore their identities and address citizenship or documentation problems.
Lifelong Support
We advocate for accessible, independent and adequately funded services throughout adulthood, including counselling, peer support, translation, DNA testing, family tracing and practical international search and reunion assistance.
Justice & Redress
We advocate for recognition of people harmed through illegal and illicit adoption practices, access to effective legal remedies, identity restoration, reparations and reforms that prevent further harm.
Intercountry Adoption in Australia: The Numbers Behind Our Advocacy
14,226 – 14,415
Compiled estimate of intercountry adoptions to Australia, 1970 – 2025
The full historical total is likely higher.
Why these numbers matter
Australia’s intercountry adoptees come from many birth countries, yet no single complete national dataset covers the entire history.
Incomplete historical records reinforce the need for greater transparency, lifelong services and accountability.
Explore the data by year, birth country and historical period
Our Australian Advocacy Journey
Since ICAV’s establishment in 1998, our work has evolved from connecting and supporting intercountry adoptees to advocating directly with Australian governments for recognition, lifelong support, accountability and justice.
This timeline documents significant milestones in our Australian advocacy, including the concerns raised, actions requested and government responses over time.
1998 – 2004
Establishing ICAV and Community Voice
ICAV was established in 1998 to connect intercountry adoptees and create opportunities to share lived experiences. Its early work focused on peer support, community-building and educating others about the lifelong realities of intercountry adoption.
2005
Parliamentary Inquiry into Overseas Adoption
ICAV participated in the Australian House of Representatives Inquiry into Overseas Adoption, initially bringing an adoptee peer-support perspective. Although the inquiry largely focused on adoption processes and the needs of adoptive parents, it included a small number of recommendations relevant to adoptees.
2008 – 2010
National Advisory Group and Illegal Adoption Protocol
ICAV founder Lynelle Long (nee Beveridge) joined the National InterCountry Adoption Advisory Group (NICAAG) in 2008 as the sole Adoptee Representative. ICAV raised concerns about illegal adoptions and inadequate support for affected adoptees, contributing to the development of Australia’s first national protocol for responding to allegations of illicit and illegal intercountry adoption practices.
Read about the members of NICAAG →
View the Inaugural Meeting Agenda →
Read the National Protocol today →
2015
Federal Government Engagement & Post-Adoption Support
ICAV met with senior advisers to the Prime Minister and Minister Christian Porter to advocate for recognition and support for people affected by illegal intercountry adoptions. These discussions contributed to increased attention to the need for nationally funded, lifelong post-adoption services.
Read about the Prime Minister meeting →
Read about Minister Porter’s meeting →
2016 – 2019
Establishing & Defending the ISS Australia Tracing Service
ICAV worked alongside International Social Service (ISS) Australia to advocate for a dedicated, government-funded intercountry adoption tracing and reunification service. The service operated for two years, with ICAV founder Lynelle Long serving on its Advisory Board.
In 2016, ICAV also contributed to establishing a government innovation workshop in Sydney to explore how technology could improve international tracing and reunification for adoptees.
When funding ended in 2018, ICAV continued writing to and meeting with the Prime Minister and relevant ministers, calling for this essential service to be maintained.
Read ICAV’s Support letter for ISS’s Proposed Service →
Read ICAV’s disappointment about the Minister’s decision →
Read ICAV’s letter to Minister →
Read the Advisory Board letter to the Minister →
Read about ICAV’s Meeting with the Minister →
Read the Minister’s letter of response to ICAV →
2017
The Colour of Time – Documenting Lifelong Adoptee Experiences
ICAV founder Lynelle Long conceived and proposed The Colour of Time to the Australian Government as a longitudinal sequel to The Colour of Difference (2001). Funded by the Department of Social Services and developed in partnership with ISS Australia and the Benevolent Society’s Post Adoption Resource Centre, Lynelle managed and compiled the publication.
Released in June 2017, the book brought together 28 intercountry adoptee stories, including contributors returning approximately 15 years after the original publication. It provided a pioneering Australian resource documenting the lifelong experiences of intercountry adoptees, including identity, racism, belonging, search, reunion and family life.
2017 – 2020
Calls for Practical Support & Government Accountability
In December 2017, ICAV facilitated a meeting between affected adoptees and the Department of Social Services, requesting government-assisted search and reunion, translation, travel assistance, citizenship support and identity restoration. ICAV also repeatedly sought engagement with the South Australian Government about suspected illegal adoptions and the needs of affected adoptees.
Read ICAV’s history of government engagement →
Read Minister Dan Tehan meeting minutes →
2020 – 2021
Shaping the National Post-Adoption Support Service
ICAV gathered and contributed adoptee feedback to the national consultation on the Intercountry Adoptee and Family Support Service (ICAFSS) provided by Relationship Matters, advocating for lifelong support that extended beyond counselling.
The redesigned program, commencing under Relationships Australia South Australia in July 2021, included community capacity building, small grants and bursaries – areas ICAV had actively advocated for.
2021
National Advocacy on Child Protection, Abuse & Disability Rights
ICAV contributed lived-experience evidence to two major Australian Government processes, highlighting the additional vulnerabilities of intercountry adoptees who experience abuse, neglect or disability.
Submission on Abuse and Neglect in Adoptive Families
In response to the Australian Government’s consultation on the successor to the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children, ICAV submitted a paper calling for adoptees who experience abuse or neglect to be recognised as a vulnerable group. Drawing on adoptee testimonies, the submission highlighted gaps in safeguarding, reporting, data collection and access to appropriate support.
Read ICAV’s Child Protection Submission (2021) →
Submission to the Disability Royal Commission
ICAV submitted evidence to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, bringing together the lived experiences of five Australian intercountry adoptees with disabilities. The submission highlighted the intersecting impacts of adoption, disability, trauma and discrimination, calling for better protections, appropriate services and meaningful inclusion in policy and practice.
2021
ICAV-Led Education for Professionals
Following ICAV’s advocacy for improved professional education, ICAV founder Lynelle Long developed a successful funding proposal and led the design and delivery of an adoptee-informed video resource for teachers, doctors and mental health professionals. The project involved recruiting and supporting adult intercountry adoptees, coordinating production, implementing trauma-informed participant safeguards and securing additional funding to maximise the educational resources created.
Funded by Relationship Matters and the NSW Committee on Adoption and Permanent Care, with support from the Department of Social Services, the project brought together eight adult Australian intercountry adoptees from seven birth countries. Launched in 2021, the videos and accompanying resources help professionals better understand the lifelong impacts of intercountry adoption.
2022
National Anti-Racism Framework ⎯ Adoptee-Led Consultation
In April 2022, ICAV founder Lynelle Long facilitated a consultation with 19 Australian intercountry adoptees to contribute to the Australian Human Rights Commission’s proposed National Anti-Racism Framework.
ICAV gathered adoptees’ lived experiences of racism, highlighting how racial discrimination intersects with adoption, identity, belonging and mental health. The consultation and resulting submission aimed to ensure that intercountry and transracial adoptees – whose experiences are often overlooked in national discussions about racism – were represented in Australian anti-racism policy development.
Read ICAV’s National Anti-Racism Framework Consultation (2022)
2021 – 2022
National Research into Intercountry Adoption and Suicide
The Australian Department of Social Services commissioned Intercountry Adoption and Suicide in Australia: A Scoping Review, prepared by Ryan Gustafsson and Patricia Fronek, to examine existing evidence about suicide risks, prevention and support needs among intercountry adoptees.
ICAV had initially raised this issue in consultations and then also contributed as a stakeholder, with its advocacy on adoptee wellbeing and suicide risk cited in the research. DSS commissioned ICAV founder Lynelle Long to source artwork by intercountry adoptees for the publication, ensuring lived experiences were represented visually alongside the academic findings.
The review identified major gaps in Australian research and suicide-related data concerning intercountry adoptees, reinforcing ICAV’s longstanding calls for better recognition, specialist support and evidence-informed prevention.
Read the DSS Scoping Review →
Read ICAVs account of sourcing adoptee artwork →
2023
Community Evidence and Renewed Calls for Accountability
In 2023, ICAV collaborated with the Australian Korean Adoptees Rights Group (AUSKRG) to mobilise community support for an independent investigation into Australia’s history of intercountry adoption.
Marking the tenth anniversary of Australia’s National Apology for Forced Adoptions, we coordinated a community-supported letter calling for recognition, accountability and investigation of illegal and illicit intercountry adoptions. Separate surveys invited intercountry adoptees and adoptive parents to report concerns about adoption irregularities and possible human rights violations.
At an April 2023 meeting with the Department of Social Services, ICAV presented findings from 50 adoptee survey respondents and advocated for independent investigation, access to records, origins tracing, legislative reform and appropriate support for affected adoptees.
Read the 2023 community letter calling for investigation →
Read ICAV’s April 2023 Briefing to DSS →
Read ICAV’s community advocacy article →
2023 – 2026
ICAV-Led Consultation, Evaluation & Representation
ICAV designed and facilitated both adoptee-led consultations in 2023 and 2024 as part of an independent evaluation of ICAFSS undertaken by WhereTo Research.
This work ensured adoptees could provide direct feedback on services, identify gaps and recommend improvements. In 2024, ICAV facilitated two adoptee-led feedback groups as part of the national ICAFSS evaluation, gathering direct community experiences and recommendations for improving post-adoption services.
ICAV also facilitated direct engagement between Relationships Australia and 20 Australian adoptee community leaders, supporting greater lived-experience representation in national service development and advisory structures.
View the ICAV 2023 Discussion Guide →
View the ICAV 2024 Consultation Slides →
2024 & 2026
Adoptee-Led Community Building & Education : Cut Chilli
Through Australian Government-funded initiatives, ICAV organised two Cut Chilli community events in Sydney in 2024 and collaborated with Darebin Arts on a Melbourne event in 2026.
Combining theatre, cultural connection and facilitated discussion, these events brought adoptees and others together to explore identity, racism, family relationships and the lifelong impacts of intercountry adoption.
Sydney Cut Chilli Community Events – 2024 →
Melbourne Cut Chilli Community Event – 2026 →
Read ICAVs Introduction in the published book Cut Chilli →
2025
Parliamentary Briefing and Calls for a National Investigation
ICAV collaborated with Senator Linda Reynolds on a parliamentary briefing calling for a comprehensive investigation into Australia’s intercountry adoption history. ICAV also engaged with the Department of Social Services alongside Korean adoptee organisations, while continuing to advocate for an independent national response inclusive of adoptees from all countries of origin.
2025 – Present
Historical South Korea-Australia Adoption Investigation
Since 2025, ICAV has worked alongside three other adoptee-led organisations in consultations concerning Australia’s investigation into historical South Korea–Australia intercountry adoptions, advocating for transparency, adoptee participation, access to records and government accountability.
View the Australian Government investigation →
View the Stage 1 Interim Report →
This timeline highlights selected milestones in ICAV’s Australian advocacy. For a more detailed record of government engagement, documented concerns and outstanding issues, read Australia’s History and Silence on Illicit and Illegal Intercountry Adoptions: A Record of Inaction.
Recognition from Australian Government Officials
Professional references from senior Department of Social Services officials Stephen Moger (2017) and Rowena Freeland (2022) acknowledged ICAV’s contribution to Australian intercountry adoption policy, funded support services, educational resources and adoptee participation in government decision-making.
Stephen Moger, DSS (2017) and Rowena Freeland, DSS (2022).
Progress Achieved & Outstanding Gaps
Sustained adoptee advocacy has contributed to important developments in Australian post-adoption services and policy. Nevertheless, significant gaps remain in lifelong support, identity rights, accountability and redress.
Progress Achieved
- National support service
- Tracing service established
- Small grants, bursaries and funded adoptee-led community initiatives
- Adoptee consultations
- Adoptee-led education and funded research
Gaps Remaining
- Ongoing tracing funding
- Full records and identity restoration
- Adoptee decision-making power
- National investigation and redress
- National professional training, adoptee-specific suicide data and prevention
An important distinction: The establishment of a program or consultation process is progress, but it does not necessarily mean the underlying needs of adoptees have been met. ICAV continues to assess outcomes against the practical assistance, rights and accountability adoptees have sought.
ISS Australia tracing service – reported activity by March 2018
226
New client cases
55
First families traced
28
Reunions
Source: ISS Australia review of the Intercountry Adoption Tracing and Reunification Service, June 2018. These are service results, not outcomes attributed to ICAV.
The ISS Australia tracing and reunification service demonstrated the value of specialist international search assistance but ended after two years. Its closure illustrates a continuing problem: services can be established without ensuring their long-term availability.