For 14 years, I’ve worked quietly but relentlessly to improve access to safe, ethical surrogacy in Australia and around the world. My journey into this work began with a deeply personal desire to build my own family, but over the years, it’s evolved into something far greater—a mission to make surrogacy more accessible, transparent, and supportive for everyone who needs it.
I’ve never been one to seek the spotlight, but I’ve come to see that speaking up can spark meaningful change. With this article, I hope to inspire others in our community to step forward, to advocate, and to play their part in shaping a future where surrogacy is not only a viable path to parenthood, but one grounded in respect, opportunity, and dignity for everyone involved.
What You May Not Know
I love my country and the surrogacy community within it. When I left medicine—after years spent in healthcare research and public health—I had no idea I’d one day become a pioneer in surrogacy education and support, let alone run an organisation dedicated to helping intended parents navigate the complexities of the journey.
Many people may not realise this, but there’s so much advocacy that happens behind the scenes. I’m an introvert by nature, but both before and long after building my own family through surrogacy, I’ve been quietly meeting with state and federal politicians, family court judges, and other decision-makers. Over the past 14 years, I’ve helped parents and surrogates connect with their local MPs, contributed to more than a dozen formal government reviews, and volunteered my time to push for laws that protect surrogates, newborns, and intended parents—while improving access to domestic surrogacy. This advocacy is what drives me.
Taking Action
More than anything, I’m a community builder.
Back in 2011, when Tasmania was preparing to introduce its first surrogacy bill, I was advised to meet with local MPs to ensure the mistakes made in other jurisdictions weren’t repeated. So, I booked a flight to Launceston, worked the phones to arrange meetings, hired a car, and criss-crossed the state advocating for thoughtful legislation.
Since then, I’ve taken time away from work and family to travel to Canberra, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Melbourne to meet with government officials and parliamentarians. Although the work has often been demanding, the meaningful changes it has brought about made every effort worthwhile—and continues to motivate me.
In 2013, I presented to the Commonwealth Family Law Council Review, sharing stories from dozens of Australian parents about the fears, stigma, and barriers they faced in building families. Those real stories moved the Council to recommend reform. I later arranged meetings with the Chief Justice of the Family Court to advocate for change and have since contributed to reviews of surrogacy laws in every Australian state and territory.
Advocating for Change
In recent years, I’ve also been part of All Kids Are Equal, a coalition working to advance surrogacy reform across the country. One of our key achievements has been our work on the Equality Bill in NSW, alongside Rainbow Families, Equality Australia and MP Alex Greenwich. This legislation made NSW the first Australian state to provide a legal pathway for recognising Australian parents of children born via overseas surrogacy. The reforms will help many families to come.
Every month for the past 14 years, I’ve carved out time to lead conference planning meetings with a team of like-minded volunteers. Together, we ensure that our events—held across Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the UK—give voice to the lived experiences of parents, surrogates, and young adults. Attendees walk away with a more realistic understanding of the challenges involved in surrogacy and donor IVF. If you’re interested in volunteering, please reach out to us.
Building a Better Future
To help make global surrogacy safer, I also founded an International Advisory Board of professionals from around the world. Together, we’ve developed ethical standards to promote transparency, collaboration, and protection for all parties involved. It’s a complex space, shaped by conflicting laws and real risks—but instead of being deterred by these challenges, we’ve chosen to lead with practical solutions and a shared commitment to doing better.
My hope is that I could continue to offer my time to these great causes, and that together, we can build a surrogacy framework that’s ethical, safe, and supportive of everyone involved. Afterall, everyone deserves to have the family they dream of.
