NSW Government to vote on private bill.

Religious agencies seek gay adoption bill exemption

Independent MP Clover Moore introduced a bill in June that seeks to legalise adoption for gay couples.
But Anglicare has written to MPs urging them to vote against the bill and is threatening to withdraw its adoption services if the laws are introduced.
Community Services Minister Linda Burney says Cabinet will this week discuss amending the bill so Anglicare and Catholic Agency, Centacare, can refuse gay couples adoption rights.
Ms Burney says the agencies have a right to voice their views but it will come down to a conscience vote in Parliament.
"Anglicare and Centacare not only are adoption agencies, they also work very closely and are important partners in our fostering endeavours in NSW," she said.
"I think the exemption is sensible and I think it's important that it's there."
Anglicare is one of the three accredited non-government adoption agencies in the state.
Its chief executive Peter Kell wrote to MPs outlining 11 reasons why the bill should be rejected, including that children need the opportunity to have both a mother and a father.
He says adoption is not a gay rights issue but needs to be carried out in the interests of the child.
Mr Kell says MPs should take a conservative approach when it comes to a conscience vote on the issue.
"Our understanding of how families are best constructed is that children need the opportunity to have both a mother and a father," he said. "Men and women complement each other and the optimal care for children really consists of being in a family for both a mother and a father."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/08/2976698.htm