Queensland STATUS OF CHILDREN AMENDMENT BILL 2001 Queensland STATUS OF CHILDREN AMENDMENT BILL 2001 TABLE OF PROVISIONS Section Page PART 1—PRELIMINARY 1 Short title. 0... cece ence t eee eens 2 Commencement. ....... 0.0... eee cee eee e eens PART 2—AMENDMENT OF STATUS OF CHILDREN ACT 1978 3 Act amended in pt 2 and schedule. .... 2.2... eee eee 4 Amendment of title... 2... eee eee 5 Replacement of s 1 (Short title, commencement and application) ........ 1 Short title 0... eee eee eee 1A Application of Act... 2... eee eee ee eee 1B Act binds all persons ..... 2... eee ee eee 6 Replacement of s 2 (Interpretation)............... 00000 e eee eee ee 2 Definitions ... 2.00.06. 2A Meaning of "parentage testing procedure" .................0.. 7 Amendment of s 3 (All children to be of equal status)................. 8 Amendment and relocation of s 4 (Instruments executed and intestacies that take place before the commencement of this Act)..............0.. 9 Omission of s 5 (Presumption as to parenthood) .................205. 10 Amendment of s 7 (Recognition of paternity)....................004. 11 Omission of s 8 (Evidence and proof of paternity)..................4. 12 Amendment of s 10 (Declaration of paternity)...................200. 13 Replacement of s 11 (Order requiring evidence concerning paternity tobe given) 2... cee cece 11 Order requiring evidence to be given about paternity or parentage testing procedure to be carried out .................. & DAannnwn ft BP PR A No yNnuwnvun awd Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 1517 21 11A Parentage testing procedure reports...............0....000005 Insertion of new division headings in pt 3..................00000 000s Amendment of s 13 (Interpretation) ............ 0.0... Amendment of s 14 (Application)........... 0.0... eee eee ee eee Insertion of new pt 3, divs3 and4 ...... 2.2 eee eee eee Division 3—Other parentage presumptions 18A Parentage presumptions arising from marriage................. 18B Parentage presumption arising from birth registration ........... 18C Parentage presumption arising from court finding............... 18D Paternity presumption arising from acknowledgments ........... 18E Paternity presumption arising from cohabitation................ Division 4—Other provisions about presumptions 18F Rebuttal of presumptions................. 000s cece eee 18G Resolution of conflicting presumptions....................00. Replacement of s 19 (Regulations) .............. 0000s cece eee eee 19 Approval of forms ......... 066. c ccc eee eee eee ee 20 Regulation-making power .......... 0... e cece eee eee ee 21 Numbering and renumbering of Act ....................220.0. PART 5—TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS Division 1—Transitional provisions for Status of Children Act 1978'. Insertion of new pt 5 div 2.0.0.0... 0.0... cece cece eee eee eee Division 2—Transitional provision for Status of Children Amendment Act 24 Proceedings ........ 0... cece ce cee eee ees PART 3—AMENDMENT OF MAINTENANCE ACT 1965 Act amended in pt 3... 0... eee Omission of pt 2, div 3, sdiv2........ 0... cee eee SCHEDULE ....................0... MINOR AND CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS 1011 1213131414 15 A BILL FOR An Act to amend the Status of Children Act 1978, and for another purpose Clause Clause Clause Clause Clause s1 4 s5 Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 The Parliament of Queensland enacts— PART 1—PRELIMINARY Short title This Act may be cited as the Status of Children Amendment Act 2001. Commencement This Act commences on a day to be fixed by proclamation. PART 2—AMENDMENT OF STATUS OF CHILDREN ACT 1978 Act amended in pt 2 and schedule This part and the schedule amend the Status of Children Act 1978. Amendment of title Title, 'artificially conceived' — omit. Replacement of s 1 (Short title, commencement and application) Section 1— omit, insert— '1 Short title 'This Act may be cited as the Status of Children Act 1978. w aornnan nn £ s6 5 s6 Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 '1A Application of Act 'This Act applies to a person, whether or not— (a) the person— (i) was born in the State; or (ii) was born before or after the commencement of this section; or (iii) is a child; or (b) the person's father or mother has ever been domiciled in the State. '1B Act binds all persons 'This Act binds all persons, including the State, and, so far as the legislative power of the Parliament permits, the Commonwealth and the other States.'. Clause 6 Replacement of s 2 (Interpretation) Section 2— omit, insert— '2 Definitions 'In this Act— "marriage" includes a void marriage and a voidable marriage that has been annulled by a court. "parentage testing order" see section 11(2)(b). "parentage testing procedure" see section 2A. "parentage testing procedure report" see section 11A(1). "prescribed court" see section 18C(1)(a). "prescribed overseas jurisdiction" has the meaning given by the Family Law Act 1975 (Cwlth).! 1 See the Family Law Act 1975 (Cwlth), section 4 (Interpretation) and the Family Law Regulations 1984 (Cwlth), section 39B(2) (Extension of provisions of Act). om NI DN FW WY WNrF Oo Clause Clause s7 6 s8 Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 '2A Meaning of "parentage testing procedure" '(1) A "parentage testing procedure" is a physical or other test carried out on a person involving the application of medical science for the purpose of obtaining evidence about paternity. '(2) A parentage testing procedure includes the taking of tissue, fluid or other bodily sample from a person and the scientific examination of the samples. '(3) The following medical procedures are also parentage testing procedures— (a) red cell antigen blood grouping; (b) red cell enzyme blood grouping; (c) human leucocyte antigen tissue typing; (d) testing for serum markers; (e) DNA typing.'. 7 Amendment of s 3 (All children to be of equal status) Section 3(4)— omit. 8 Amendment and relocation of s 4 (Instruments executed and intestacies that take place before the commencement of this Act) (1) Section 4, heading— omit, insert— '4 Documents executed before commencement of Act'. (2) Section 4(1), 'instruments' — omit, insert— 'documents'. (3) Section 4(2), 'an instrument' — omit, insert— 'a document'. COD INDNMN PWN kW NWN So Nn ow 21232527 s9 7 s12 Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 (4) Before section 4(3), as heading— insert— '4A Intestacies taking place before commencement of Act'. (5) Section 4(3)— renumber as section 4A. (6) Sections 4 and 4A— relocate and renumber, in part 5, division 1 (as inserted by this Act), as sections 22 and 23. ONY DN FW NY Clause 9 Omission of s 5 (Presumption as to parenthood) 9 Section 5— 0 omit. Clause 10 Amendment of s 7 (Recognition of paternity) 2 Section 7(1)(b), from '(whether' to 'otherwise)'— omit. 4 Clause 11 Omission of s 8 (Evidence and proof of paternity) Section 8— 6 omit. Clause 12 Amendment of s 10 (Declaration of paternity) Section 10— 9 insert— 20 '(5) For a criminal proceeding, a declaration having effect under this 21 section is conclusive evidence of the matters contained in it, unless the 22 contrary is established.' . 23 s13 8 s13 Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 Clause 13 Replacement of s 11 (Order requiring evidence concerning paternity to be given) Section 11— omit, insert— '11 Order requiring evidence to be given about paternity or parentage testing procedure to be carried out '(1) This section applies to a proceeding in relation to an application under section 10. '(2) The court may make the following orders— (a) an order requiring a named person to give evidence material to any question in issue in the proceeding; (b) an order directing a named person to submit himself or herself or a child or adult mentioned in subsection (4)(b) or (c), within the time stated in the order, to the carrying out of a parentage testing procedure on himself or herself or the child or adult (a "parentage testing order''). '(3) The order may be subject to conditions. '(4) A parentage testing procedure must not be carried out on a person under a parentage testing order unless— (a) if the person does not have impaired capacity and is an adult or is a child who is 16 or 17 years—the person consents to the carrying out of the procedure; or (b) if the person is a child who is under 16 years or is a child who is 16 or 17 years with impaired capacity—the child's parent or guardian or a person exercising parental responsibility in relation to the child consents to the carrying out of the procedure; or (c) if the person is an adult with impaired capacity—a person who may exercise powers in relation to personal matters for the adult under a power of attorney under the Powers of Attorney Act 1998, or a guardian for the adult under the Guardianship and Administration Act 2000, consents to the carrying out of the procedure. '(5) If a person fails to take any step required of the person for giving effect to a parentage testing order, the court may draw whatever inferences from that fact the court considers appropriate in the circumstances. © ON AN FW NK Com A DANK WNY KO NNWy NRO NNNN DAnbW WWWNNN NRPOWUAmAN WwW WwW an BW s13 9 s13 Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 '(6) For subsection (5), a person is taken to have failed to take a step required of the person for giving effect to a parentage testing order if the person— (a) is named in the order; and (b) fails to consent to a parentage testing procedure being carried out on— (i) himself or herself; or (ii) achild or adult mentioned in subsection (4)(b) or (c) named in the order. '(7) However, the person is not liable to any penalty in relation to the contravention. '(8) In this section— "impaired capacity" means capacity that is impaired capacity under the Guardianship and Administration Act 2000. "personal matter" means a matter that is a personal matter under the Powers of Attorney Act 1998. '11A Parentage testing procedure reports '(1) A person who carries out, or helps in the carrying out of, a parentage testing procedure under a parentage testing order must prepare and give to the court a report in the approved form in relation to information obtained as a result of the carrying out of the procedure (a "parentage testing procedure report"). '(2) The report must be prepared in accordance with the requirements prescribed under a regulation. '(3) The report may be received in evidence in a proceeding under this Act. '(4) A party to the proceeding— party Pp & (a) with leave of the court, may; or (b) if the court directs, must; ask the person who prepared the report to give a written statement explaining or expanding on any statement made in the report. '(5) The person who prepared the report must comply with the request. om AIA DUN FB WNKR Dun FW NY FO 2124 26 2831 Clause Clause s14 10 s15 Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 '(6) The statement given in compliance with the request is taken to form part of the report. '(7) If a report is received in evidence, the court may make an order requiring the person who made the report, or any person whose evidence may be relevant in relation to the report, to appear before the court and give evidence in relation to the report. '(8) The court may make an order under subsection (6)— (a) on its own initiative; or (b) on the request of a party to the proceeding.'. 14 Insertion of new division headings in pt 3 (1) Part 3, before section 13— insert— 'Division 1—Application'. (2) Before section 15— insert— 'Division 2—Parentage presumptions of children conceived by fertilisation procedures'. 15 Amendment of s 13 (Interpretation) (1) Section 13, heading— omit, insert— '13 Interpretation for div 2'. (2) Section 13, 'Part'— omit, insert— 'division'. (3) Section 13— relocate and renumber, in division 2, as section 14A. Co ON DUNBW NK 212325 Clause Clause s16 11 s17 Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 16 Amendment of s 14 (Application) (1) Section 14, 'this Part'— omit, insert— 'division 2'. (2) Section 14— insert— '(3) Divisions 3 and 4 apply to happenings before or after the commencement of the divisions. Example of a 'happening'— The registration of the birth of a child.'. 17 Insertion of new pt 3, divs 3 and 4 Part 3, after section 18— insert— 'Division 3—Other parentage presumptions '18A Parentage presumptions arising from marriage '(J A child born to a woman while she is married is presumed to be the child of the woman and her husband. '(2) If a child is born to a woman within 44 weeks after her husband dies, the child is presumed to be the child of the woman and her deceased husband. '(3) If a child is born to a woman within 44 weeks after her purported marriage is annulled, the child is presumed to be the child of the woman and her purported husband. '(4) A child is presumed to be the child of a woman and her former husband if— (a) when they are married, they separate, resume cohabitation on a single occasion and, within 3 months after resuming cohabitation, separate again and live separately and apart; and CoO mONI DN fF YW WN - WN NO lane c) ND WN 2225 27 s17 12 s17 Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 (b) after the dissolution of the marriage, but within 44 weeks after the cohabitation ends, the child is born to the woman. '(5) A presumption under this section is rebuttable. '18B Parentage presumption arising from birth registration '(D If, under a law of the Commonwealth, a State or a prescribed overseas jurisdiction, a person is named as a child's parent in a register of births or parentage information, the person is presumed to be the child's parent. '(2) The presumption in subsection (1) is rebuttable. '18C Parentage presumption arising from court finding '(1) A person is presumed to be a child's parent if, while the person is alive— (a) a court of the Commonwealth, a State or a prescribed overseas jurisdiction (a "prescribed court') expressly finds that the person is the child's parent; and (b) the finding is not altered, set aside or reversed. '(2) The presumption in subsection (1) is irrebuttable. '(3) A person is presumed to have been a child's parent if, after the person dies— (a) a prescribed court expressly finds that the person was the child's parent; and (b) the finding is not altered, set aside or reversed. '(4) The presumption in subsection (3) is rebuttable. '(5) In this section, a reference to a court finding includes the following— (a) adeclaration under section 10 of this Act; (b) an order under the Maintenance Act 1965, section 14 or 16;! 1 Maintenance Act 1965, section 14 (Court may order unmarried father to maintain child) or 16 (Court may order payment of preliminary expenses etc.) eS) 0 OND Ff om ND NSW NK CO Nw - oO NN Ww N Nw ns NY WN nN a s17 13 s17 Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 (c) another court declaration or order that a stated person is a stated child's parent. '18D Paternity presumption arising from acknowledgments '(1) A man is presumed to be the father of a child if— (a) under a law of the Commonwealth, a State or a prescribed overseas jurisdiction, the man signs a document acknowledging that he is a stated child's father; and (b) the document is not annulled or otherwise set aside. '(2) The presumption in subsection (1) is rebuttable. '18E Paternity presumption arising from cohabitation '() A child born to a woman is presumed to be a man's child if, during the period starting 44 weeks and ending 20 weeks before the birth, the man and woman cohabit, but are not married. '(2) The presumption in subsection (1) is rebuttable. 'Division 4—Other provisions about presumptions '18F Rebuttal of presumptions 'A presumption under this part that is rebuttable is rebuttable on the balance of probabilities. '18G Resolution of conflicting presumptions '(1) If presumptions under this part are relevant in a proceeding and 2 or more of the presumptions conflict and are not rebutted, the presumption appearing to the court to be the most likely to be correct prevails. '(2) However, if the conflicting presumptions include a presumption under section 18C(1), the presumption under section 18C(1) prevails.!". 1 Section 18C (Parentage presumption arising from court finding) oo mWm NDN HK W Ne Co eB WNeR on 2124 s18 14 s19 Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 Clause 18 Replacement of s 19 (Regulations) Section 19— omit, insert— '19 Approval of forms 'The chief executive may approve forms for use under this Act. '20 Regulation-making power '(1) The Governor in Council may make regulations under this Act. '(2) Without limiting subsection (1), a regulation may be made about— (a) the carrying out of parentage testing procedures under a parentage testing order; and (b) the preparation of parentage testing procedure reports; and (c) fees. '21 Numbering and renumbering of Act 'In the next reprint of this Act produced under the Reprints Act 1992, the provisions of this Act must be numbered and renumbered as permitted by the Reprints Act 1992, section 43. 'PART 5—TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS 'Division 1—Transitional provisions for Status of Children Act 1978'. Clause 19 Insertion of new pt 5 div 2 After section 23— insert— nk WN onan ad DAN Ww 21 Clause Clause s 20 15 s21 Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 'Division 2—Transitional provision for Status of Children Amendment Act 2001 '24 Proceedings 'The Act, as in force immediately before the commencement of this section, continues to apply to a proceeding started before the commencement.'. PART 3—AMENDMENT OF MAINTENANCE ACT 1965 20 Act amended in pt 3 This part amends the Maintenance Act 1965. 21 Omission of pt 2, div 3, sdiv 2 Part 2, division 3, subdivision 2— omit. NOR DAN Ww 11Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 SCHEDULE MINOR AND CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS section 3 1' Part 2, heading— relocate to before section 3. 2 Sections 3(2) and (3) and 9(2) and (4)(b), ' any instrument'— omit, insert— 'a document'. 3 Sections 6(2), 7(1), 9(2) and (3), 'an instrument'— omit, insert— 'a document'. 4 Sections 7(3), 9(3) and 10(1), 'or a Judge thereof'— omit. 5 Section 9, 'instruments'— omit, insert— 'documents'. 6 Section 9(1), from 'An instrument' to 'thereof'— omit, insert— 'A document mentioned in section 18D or a copy of it'. Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 SCHEDULE (continued) 7 Section 9(3), '8(2)'— omit, insert— '18D'. 8 Section 9(4), 'a Judge of the Supreme Court sitting in chambers'— omit, insert— 'the court'. 9 Section 9(4B) and (4C), 'Judge'— omit, insert— 'court'. 10 Section 10(1), 'by way of originating summons'— omit. 11 Section 10(1), (2), (3) and (4), 'or Judge'— omit. 12 Section 10(1), ', his or her'— omit. 13 Section 12(1), '8(2)'— omit, insert— '18D'. ND WSs Status of Children Amendment Bill 2001 SCHEDULE (continued) 14 Section 12(2), '8(1)'— omit, insert— "18B'. 15 Section 12(2), before 'shall'— insert— 'or a law of the Commonwealth, a State or a prescribed overseas jurisdiction'. © State of Queensland 2001 orAnnDWN