NTIn ForceAct
Adoption of Children Act 1994
27Consents of parents and guardians required
Start here
Get a plain-English read of 27
Turn the raw legal text into a practical explanation grounded in Adoption of Children Act 1994.
27 Consents of parents and guardians required
(1) Subject to section 28, in the case of a child who has not previously
been adopted, consent to the adoption of the child by each person
who is a birth parent or a guardian of the child is required, except
that the consent of a birth parent of a child born outside the
marriage or the traditional Aboriginal marriage of the child's birth
parents is not required unless that birth parent's parenthood of the
child is recognised under a law in force in the Territory before the
earlier of the following:
(a) the expiration of one month after the day on which an
instrument of consent to the adoption of the child was signed
by the first-mentioned birth parent or a guardian;
(b) the day on which an order for the dispensation of the giving of
a consent to the adoption of the child is made by the Court
under section 35.
(2) In the case of a child who has been previously adopted, the
consent of every person who is an adoptive parent or a guardian of
the child is required.
Part 3 Adoptions under this Act
Division 4 Consents to adoptions
Adoption of Children Act 1994 14
(3) If a person whose consent is otherwise required under this section
is the applicant or one of the applicants for an order for adoption,
that person's consent to the adoption is not required.
(4) This section does not apply in the case of a child who has attained
the age of 18 years before the order for adoption is made.