Regulation Of Assisted Reproductive Treatment (ART) In Victoria
Assisted Reproductive Treatment (ART) in Victoria is regulated by a number of organisations. Each organisation has responsibility for administering a different part of the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008. An outline of the role of each organisation is provided below.
Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (formally the Infertility Treatment Authority)
Role
The Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA) is a statutory authority responsible for administering aspects of the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008. The Authority monitors programs and activities associated with the legislation, registers ART providers under the Act and approves import and export of donor eggs, sperm and embryos. It also provides public education including resources for professionals and the community on a range of fertility and ART related issues. The Authority’s website is a valuable source of information about ART in Victoria and provides a gateway for all your information needs.
Contact
PO Box 16123, Collins Street West VIC 8007
Level 13, 120 Spencer Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: (03) 8601 5250
Fax: (03) 8601 5277
Email: varta@varta.org.au
Web: varta.org.au
Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
Role
With the commencement of the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008, the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages is responsible for the maintenance of the registers relating to donor conception in Victoria. There are two Registers, the Central Register and Voluntary Register, which record information about people involved in donor conception.
The Central Register records information about births arising from the use of donor sperm, eggs or embryos since July 1988. The treating clinic provides the Registry with information about the parents, the donor, and the child who has been born. When registering a birth, the parent needs to confirm on the birth registration statement that donor conception occurred.
The Voluntary Register allows people who have been involved in donor conception in Victoria at any time, to voluntarily record information about themselves and their wishes to exchange information with other persons on the Voluntary Register.
The donor, parents, donor-conceived child and descendents of the donor-conceived child may apply to the Registrar for release of non-identifying and identifying information from these Registers. Other family members, in addition to these four groups of eligible applicants, are also able to record and exchange information on the Voluntary Register.
Before the Registrar is able to release identifying information from the Registers, two conditions must be met:
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the information released must be consistent with the consent provisions that apply to the particular record
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the applicant must have been counselled by an approved counselling service about the potential consequences of the disclosure.
Contact
Sharon Perera
Address: Customer Service Centre, Ground Floor, 595 Collins Street Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 1300 369 367 Dial ‘0’ to be transferred to a Customer Services Officer
Fax: (03) 9613 5843
Email: vicbdm@justice.vic.gov.au
Web: bdm.vic.gov.au/donorregister
for counselling.
Patient Review Panel
Role
The Patient Review Panel considers individual applications for treatment for surrogacy, posthumous use of gametes and embryos, and extensions of storage time for gametes and embryos. It also considers applications for treatment where a registered ART provider or doctor is concerned about the risk of abuse or neglect of any child that may be born as a result of treatment, or where a person does not meet the eligibility criteria. The Patient Review Panel also considers whether there is a barrier to treatment if a presumption against treatment applies. Decisions of the Patient Review Panel are reviewable by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
Contact
Web: www.health.vic.gov.au/prp
