View source for Australia

{{Country
|name=Australia
|image_flag=Australia-flag.jpg
|Region=Oceania
|Population=21260000
|GDP=908,826
|Eggs for assisted reproduction=commercial prohibited
|Eggs for research=commercial prohibited
|Inheritable genetic modification=PROHIBITED
|Preimplantation genetic diagnosis=social uses prohibited
|Reproductive cloning=PROHIBITED
|Research cloning=regulated
|Sex selection=Social uses prohibited
|Surrogacy=commercial prohibited
|European Union=
|Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development=Member
|Council of Europe=
|1997 COE Biomedicine Convention=n/a
|1998 COE Cloning Convention=n/a
|2005 UN Cloning Vote=YES
|2005 UNESCO Sports Doping Convention=RATIFIED
|Treaty of Lisbon=n/a
|Introduction=*Governance in Australia is federalized, with significant power distributed to its states and territories to legislate upon certain matters. Laws addressing research involving human embryos and cloning exist at both federal and state levels. National guidelines exist in relation to assisted reproductive technologies. Regulation of surrogacy and assisted reproduction falls to the states.
|Key laws and policies=Federal Legislation:
*Prohibitions on human cloning for reproductive purposes Act 2002 (Cth) 
*Research involving human embryos Act 2002 (Cth) 
Federal Ethical Guidelines:
*National Health and Medical Research Council, National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007) 
*National Health and Medical Research Council, Ethical Guidelines on the Use of Assisted Reproductive Technology in Clinical Practice and Research (2007) 
State and Territory Legislation:
To fully understand regulation in Australia one must refer to state and territory laws regarding assisted reproduction, legal parentage, and surrogacy. For a comprehensive overview of Australian state and territory laws, see: http://www.healthlawcentral.com/assistedreproduction
|Foundational values=
|Prohibited practices=*Federal legislation in Australia bans reproductive cloning and inheritable genetic modification, but extends only so far as its power to regulate corporations. Individual states and territories have enacted mirrored legislation regarding reproductive and research cloning to ensure coverage of individuals. (Note Western Australia does not permit cloning of human embryos for research purposes.)
*The "Ethical Guidelines on the Use of Assisted Reproductive Technology in Clinical Practice and Research," issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council, is the policy document that carries significant force. All clinics offering assisted reproductive treatment must adhere to the guidelines to meet their registration requirements. The guidelines prohibit commercial surrogacy and limit the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis to the avoidance of serious medical conditions. They do, however, encourage further public discussion of these and other issues. 
* Laws among states vary; however, the Department of Human Services of South Australia says that states must comply with the NHMRC Guidelines unless specific legislation regulating reproductive technology overrides.
*State laws uniformly make surrogacy contracts unenforceable, with legal parentage falling, in the first instance, to the birth mother or birth parents. Commercial surrogacy is prohibited in all states and territories, except Northern Territory, by statute. New South Wales, Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory also prohibit commercial surrogacy extra-territorially. 
*The Australian Health Ethics Committee, which governs how medical research is conducted, ruled in 2005 that sex selection techniques should not be used in Australia.
|Permitted and regulated practices=*"Altruistic" surrogacy is permitted in each state and territory, subject to meeting stringent criteria. Reimbursement for "reasonable expenses" is permitted.
*Providing eggs for reproduction or for research is limited to non-commercial transactions.
*Embryo donation is permitted, in non-commercial situations for research or reproduction.
'''Access to Information'''
* Egg, sperm, and embryo donation is non-anonymous with NSW, Victoria, and Western Australia operating registers at which donor-conceived people may access information (depending on time of conception).  (See further http://www.healthlawcentral.com/assistedreproduction/donorconception/.)
|Regulatory activities=
|Accountability and governance=
|History=
|External links=* [http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/ National Health and Medical Research Council]
* [http://healthlawcentral.com/assistedreproduction Health Law Central]
}}
== References ==
<references/>