Eyes on Malcolm Turnbull as Deborra-lee Furness urges faster adoption reform

Almost 30,000 Australian children have been in out-of-home care (because they can't live with their immediate families) for more than two years. Of all 43,000 children in out-of-home care, about half are not with other relatives.

But in 2013-14, only 203 children were adopted locally.

"It is not moving fast enough," Furness says of the bid to see more children being given a permanent home over a shorter period of time.

Her call comes as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is expected to make an announcement on Monday for Adoption Awareness Week.

Earlier this month, Mr Turnbull expressed concern about the number of children in out-of-home care. But it is understood the government may announce progress on inter-country adoption following recent discussions about setting up new programs with the United States, Poland and Vietnam, as well as Latvia and Bulgaria.

It has also had discussions to improve existing inter-country adoption agreements with Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and some South American countries.

Overseas adoption is also a rare option in Australia. In 2013-14, there were about 114 children adopted from overseas.

While Furness is full of praise for former prime minister Tony Abbott – who made improving adoption a priority under his leadership – Furness laments progress under the Coalition has been slowed down by bureaucracy.

"I don't think Tony Abbott and [former chief-of-staff] Peta Credlin and the gang realised how hard it was going to be," she told Fairfax Media. "We have an anti-adoption culture [in Australia]."

Furness compared change in the area to asking "can you just move [Uluru] a little to the left?"

Coalition MPs have also been calling on the government to make it easier for Australians to adopt.

In August, senators Zed Seselja and Joanna Lindgren said the "bias" against domestic adoptions had to end. Last week, they were joined by new Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, who spoke of the 18 months he and his wife spent trying to adopt. They have since naturally conceived a baby, but Mr Hastie wants to help others who were not as fortunate.

British expert Sir Martin Narey, who is currently in Australia, said England had "significant boosted" the numbers of domestic adoptions, partly by making the recruitment process for potential parents "more friendly".

Adoptions have jumped from just over 3000 children to 5300 a year over the past four years.

Sir Martin, who is chairman of the United Kingdom's Adoption Leadership Board, said England was becoming "more realistic" that some children were not going to be able to go home to their birth parents and was coming to a decision about their future more quickly.

Recently, Adopt Change found that there are many Australians who are willing to be adoptive parents, but they are put off by lengthy waits and difficulties in applying.

A national survey of more than 1000 adults found that 17 per cent of those polled had seriously thought of adopting, but 87 cent of that group had not gone ahead.

There is no national data for the time it takes for local adoptions. Anecdotally, it can take anywhere between about 18 months and more than six years.

Barnados Australia recently told a Senate inquiry it is normal for children to be placed in six or eight different homes while they are in out-of-home care.