(1) A person may,
subject to this Act, adopt a child if he or she —
(a) is a
step-parent of the child and has been married to, or in a de facto
relationship with, a parent of the child for at least 3 years; or
(ba) is
a relative of the child; or
(b) is a
carer of the child; or
(c) has,
under this Act, had the child placed in his or her care with a view to the
child’s adoption by him or her.
(2) Persons referred
to in subsection (1)(ba), (b) and (c) and relatives and carers referred to in
section 66(2) may, subject to this Act, jointly adopt another person if the
first-mentioned persons, relatives or carers are married to, or in a de facto
relationship with, each other and have been so for at least 3 years, but not
otherwise.
(3) A child is not to
adopt another child.
(4) For the purposes
of subsection (1)(a) if the step-parent is married to a parent of the child
and before the marriage those persons were living as de facto partners, the
period of living as de facto partners may be included when calculating the
period referred to in subsection (1)(a).
(5) For the purposes
of subsection (2) if the persons referred to in subsection (1)(ba), (b) and
(c) or the relatives or the carers referred to in section 66(2) are married
and before the marriage those persons, relatives or carers were living as de
facto partners, the period of living as de facto partners may be included when
calculating the period referred to in subsection (2).
[Section 67 amended: No. 3 of 2002 s. 16; No. 8 of
2003 s. 36; No. 15 of 2012 s. 42.]