FORGING A PATH FOR EVERY CHILD

Actor Deborra-Lee Furness has revealed the struggle she and her husband Hugh Jackman faced when trying to adopt children in Australia.

The philanthropist said she was forced to go overseas to fulfil her dream of becoming a mother after suffering two miscarriages following IVF treatment in the late ’90s.

She has called for changes to Australia’s “complex” adoption legislation.

“Adopting kids in America was much easier than it was in Australia, we literally tried in Australia and I walked out of the first meeting — I was so appalled by the set-up and the people that were running it,” Furness said.

“I was just horrified and I said, ‘we’re not doing it’ and then it happened that we moved to America. We were not famous over there, we jumped through every hoop and did it all by the books and it was so much easier.”

Furness, 64, and Jackman, 52, (pictured) adopted two children, Ava, now 15, and Oscar, now 20, in the early 2000s.

In 2008, New York-based Furness launched Adopt Change, a not-for-profit organisation that helps children in temporary care find permanent homes.

“(Australia) had an anti-adoption culture,” Furness said.

“Former speaker of the house, Bronwyn Bishop, did an inquiry in 2005 that found there was an anti-adoption culture.

“It’s systemic, it’s like Black Lives Matter — there’s systemic dysfunction.

“I think it was residue from the Stolen

Generations …

“The Stolen Generations has nothing to do with adoption … that was theft. Our forefathers before us made up these ridiculous rules that just snowballed and all went to s--- basically and therefore we have to rebuild and change the culture.”

Adopt Change has partnered with fashion house Aje to launch the Yesvember campaign this month using the hashtag #aHomeForEveryChild to encourage more people to consider adoption.