In a long-anticipated move, the Australian state of Victoria has announced that it will allow not-for-profit surrogacy, and give lesbians and single women access to fertility treatment. Attorney General Rob Hulls ways that his government will adopt the recommendations of the state's Law Reform Commission.

Victorian laws on reproduction, surrogacy and adoption have long been criticised as archaic. Only infertile couples were allowed to use IVF and surrogacy was not allowed. This led to the widely publicised case of the current Federal Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, travelling with his wife to neighbouring New South Wales to organise a surrogate mother for their child. The Victorian decision will put pressure on the newly-elected Federal government to work with the states to create a uniform national law on fertility treatment and surrogacy. ~ Australian, Dec 15