Contents (1996 - 76)
Status of Children Act 1996 No 76
Status information

Long title

Part 1 Preliminary

1 Name of Act
2 Commencement
3 Definitions
4 Application of Act

Part 2 Status of children and dispositions of property

5 All children are of equal status
6 Construction of dispositions of property made on or after 1 July 1977
7 Construction of dispositions of property made before 1 July 1977
8 Rights of exnuptial children and their relatives on intestacy

Part 3 Establishing parentage

Division 1 Parentage presumptions

9 Presumptions of parentage arising from marriage
10 Presumption of paternity arising from cohabitation
11 Presumptions of parentage arising from registration of birth
12 Presumption of parentage arising from findings of courts
13 Presumption of parentage arising from acknowledgments
14 Presumptions of parentage arising out of use of fertilisation procedures
15 Rebuttal of parentage presumptions
16 Conflicting rebuttable parentage presumptions
17 Conflicts involving irrebuttable parentage presumptions
18 Parentage presumptions cannot be relied on by prosecutors

Division 2 Acknowledgments of paternity

19 Execution of instrument of acknowledgment
20 Annulment of paternity acknowledgments

Division 3 Declarations of parentage

21 Applications for declarations in the Supreme Court
22 Annulment of declaration of parentage

Division 4 Evidence of court findings and paternity acknowledgments

23 Admissibility of court findings and paternity acknowledgments

Division 5 Hearings under Divisions 2 and 3

24 Conduct of hearings
25 Offence: publication of identity of participants in hearing

Division 6 Parentage evidence

26 Orders for carrying out of parentage testing procedures
27 Orders associated with parentage testing orders
28 Orders made against children under 18 years of age
29 Effect of non-compliance by adult with an order made under this Part
30 No liability if parent or guardian consents
31 Reports on parentage testing procedures
32 Offence: Personating another in or proffering another child for a parentage testing procedure
33 Offence: Taking of bodily sample by unqualified persons
34 Court orders for separate representation of child

Part 4 Miscellaneous

35 Proceedings for offences
36 Regulations
37 Repeal of Children (Equality of Status) Act 1976 No 97 and Artificial Conception Act 1984 No 3
38 (Repealed)
39 Savings and transitional provisions
40 Review of Act

 Schedule 1 (Repealed)

 Schedule 2 Savings and transitional provisions

Historical notes