VPRS 13324 Court of Petty Sessions Adoption of Children Register, Warragul, Bunyip, Trafalgar, Drouin

This series comprises the register of adoption cases heard at the Court of Petty Sessions in Warragul (1932 – 1954), Bunyip (1941 – 1946), Trafalgar (1943 – 1951) and Drouin (1938 – 1954). See VPRS 19549 for the related case files. For cases heard in Trafalgar after 1951 see VPRS 19609. Researchers should note that in some instances, adoption cases were lodged at one court and then later heard at another, usually at a larger regional court. Often, these cases were re-registered, but this practice does not appear to be consistent. Adoption in Victoria 1929 – 1958 The adoption of children was first regulated by legislation with the commencement of the Adoption of Children Act 1928 (Vic). This Act established adoption as a legal transfer of custody and parental responsibility and gave responsibility for making adoption orders to the courts. Prior to this time, adoptions were informal arrangements often made by private infants’ homes. Under the Act, an adoption application could be heard by the Supreme Court (VA 2549), County Court (VA 686), or Court of Petty Sessions. The choice of court depended upon the circumstances of the case and the wishes of the parties. Adoption cases could be heard at the Court of Petty Sessions closest to where either the applicant(s) or the child resided. The Court could grant an adoption order if several parties gave their written consent to the adoption, namely the child’s natural parent(s) or guardian(s); the person having custody of the child; any person liable to contribute to the support of the child; or where the applicant was married, the applicant’s spouse. If the consent of any of these persons could not be obtained in writing, a higher court had to be used. Should the applicant(s) (i.e., the prospective adoptive parent(s)) choose, the County Court could grant an adoption order in any circumstance. The Supreme Court could grant an adoption order in any circumstance. Adoption in Victoria 1958 - present The passing of the Adoption of Children Act 1958 (Vic) removed the jurisdiction of the Court of Petty Sessions to grant adoption orders. Since that time the County and Supreme Courts have had the power to grant adoption orders, although in practice most have been granted by the County Court. Cases involving interstate and international adoptions are generally handled by the Supreme Court. With the changes brought about by the Adoption of Children Act 1984 (Vic), the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) (VA 983) obtained the original court records, wherever possible, from the Courts to enable them to obtain sufficient information to prepare "birth certificates" containing more information for adopted persons. All records in custody of the courts as of 1 January 1989 therefore came under the management and control of BDM. BDM also provides adoption information to Adoption Information Services from these records. Any records created after that date are still the responsibility of the respective Court as BDM are only able to request a memorandum of the adoption order, rather than the complete file.  Contents Court districts commonly maintained a specific adoption register for cases held at Court of Petty Sessions, County Court, and Supreme Court respectively. However, registers were often shared between court districts or levels of court, particularly in remote regional areas. Between 1929 and 1958, Court of Petty Sessions and County Court cases were sometimes registered using the same system, likewise County Court and Supreme Court cases were also occasionally registered in sequence. Sometimes, a single volume was used or repurposed to register cases from different recordkeeping systems or case file sequences. Adoption registers generally contain the following details: Case number Date of application Names, ages, and occupations of couples applying Name, sex, and age of child Names of other respondents (usually mother or both parents, or guardian) Minute of decision and remarks Cases were authenticated in the registers by the Stipendiary Magistrate or Police Magistrate for cases heard at the Court of Petty Sessions, or the presiding judge for cases heard at the County Court and Supreme Court. Adopted Children Register Under section 17 (1) of the Adoption of Children Act 1928 and the subsequent adoption acts, the Government Statist was required to establish and maintain an Adopted Children Register (VPRS 11683) in which entries were made as directed by adoption orders (VPRS 11682). All courts were required to inform the Office of the Government Statist and Actuary (VA 989) of adoption orders granted from 1929 to 1983, then BDM from 1983 onwards. Researchers should note that the Adopted Children Registration Number given in the central register does not correspond to the case file number assigned by the court.

本系列档案涵盖沃勒加尔（Warragul）、邦尼普（Bunyip）、特拉法加（Trafalgar）及德鲁因（Drouin）治安法院（Court of Petty Sessions）在对应时段审理的收养案件登记簿：沃勒加尔（1932—1954年）、邦尼普（1941—1946年）、特拉法加（1943—1951年）与德鲁因（1938—1954年）。相关案件卷宗可查阅VPRS 19549。1951年后特拉法加地区审理的收养案件，请查阅VPRS 19609。

研究人员需注意，部分收养案件可能先向某一法院提交申请，随后转至另一法院（通常为规模更大的区域法院）审理，此类案件往往会进行重新登记，但该操作并无统一规范。

维多利亚州1929—1958年收养制度
儿童收养首次被纳入法律规制，始于1928年《儿童收养法（维多利亚州）》（Adoption of Children Act 1928 (Vic)）的正式施行。该法将收养确立为监护权与父母责任的合法转移制度，并将作出收养裁定的职权赋予法院。在此之前，收养多为私人育婴机构主导的非正式安排。

根据该法，收养申请可由最高法院（Supreme Court，档案编号VA 2549）、县法院（County Court，档案编号VA 686）或治安法院审理。法院的选择取决于案件具体情况与当事人意愿。

收养案件可在距申请人或儿童居住地最近的治安法院审理。若以下主体均出具书面同意，该法院即可作出收养裁定：儿童的生父母或监护人、实际照料儿童的人员、有义务抚养儿童的人员；若申请人为已婚人士，则还需申请人配偶的同意。

若无法取得上述任一主体的书面同意，则需诉诸上级法院。若申请人（即拟收养儿童的父母）愿意，县法院可在任何情形下作出收养裁定。最高法院同样可在任何情形下作出收养裁定。

维多利亚州1958年至今的收养制度
1958年《儿童收养法（维多利亚州）》的通过，取消了治安法院作出收养裁定的管辖权。自此之后，县法院与最高法院拥有作出收养裁定的职权，但实践中绝大多数收养裁定由县法院作出。涉及跨州及国际收养的案件，通常由最高法院审理。

随着1984年《儿童收养法（维多利亚州）》的修订，出生、死亡和婚姻登记处（Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages，简称BDM，档案编号VA 983）开始尽可能从各法院获取原始庭审记录，以收集足够信息为被收养人制备包含更多细节的“出生证明”。因此，1989年1月1日由各法院保管的所有档案，均交由BDM管理与掌控。BDM还可通过此类档案向收养信息服务机构提供收养相关信息。

1989年1月1日后形成的档案，仍由对应法院保管，因为BDM仅可申请获取收养裁定备忘录，而非完整卷宗。

档案内容
各法院辖区通常会分别为治安法院、县法院及最高法院审理的案件设立专属收养登记簿。但在偏远区域，不同法院辖区或不同层级法院之间往往会共用登记簿，尤其是在偏远地区。1929年至1958年间，治安法院与县法院的案件有时会采用同一系统登记，县法院与最高法院的案件亦偶尔会按统一序列登记。有时，单一卷册会被用于或重新用于登记来自不同档案管理系统或案件序列的档案。

收养登记簿通常包含以下信息：
案件编号、申请日期、申请人夫妇的姓名、年龄与职业、被收养儿童的姓名、性别与年龄、其他应诉方（通常为母亲、父母双方或监护人）、裁定摘要及备注。

治安法院审理的案件，由领薪治安法官或警务治安法官在登记簿上签章确认；县法院及最高法院审理的案件，则由主审法官签章确认。

收养儿童登记簿
根据1928年《儿童收养法》第17条第1款及后续相关收养法案的规定，政府统计官需设立并维护收养儿童登记簿（VPRS 11683），并按照收养裁定（VPRS 11682）的要求完成登记。1929年至1983年，所有法院均需将作出的收养裁定告知政府统计官与精算师办公室（VA 989）；1983年起，则需告知BDM。研究人员需注意，中央登记簿上的收养儿童登记编号，与法院分配的案件卷宗编号并不一致。