The greatest privilege of my time as a surrogacy lawyer is to work with intended parents and surrogates as they build their dream of a family. In almost a decade of practicing as a surrogacy and donor lawyer, I’ve worked with hundreds of families and together we’ve changed the face of Australian surrogacy.

Knowing the power of evidence, in 2021 I started recording the details of Australian surrogacy arrangements, including how they met, whether it involved gestational or traditional surrogacy, and the profile of intended parents and relationships.

Gestational and Traditional Surrogacy

Of 600 Australian surrogacy arrangements, 87% involved gestational surrogacy, and 13% involved traditional surrogacy. Over the years, traditional surrogacy has consistently represented 10-15% of Australian surrogacy arrangements. While there is still misunderstanding and stigma associated with traditional surrogacy, in 2024 the ACT joined the rest of Australia in legalising traditional surrogacy. Many clinics refuse to assist, preferring to profit from gestational surrogacy. However, it remains a fact that more than 1 in 7 Australian surrogacy arrangements involve traditional surrogacy, and many of those will conceive via at-home inseminations.

Intended Parents

Many people ask me whether straight or gay couples are more likely to proceed with surrogacy, or find a surrogate in Australia. 63% of Australian surrogacy arrangements involved straight couples, and 34% were for gay male couples. Only 1% of arrangements were for single men, and 2% were for single women. I predict an increase in more gay male couples pursuing surrogacy with Western Australia removing discrimination against gay couples in 2025.
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How do we find a surrogate?

The biggest question, of course, is how do we find a surrogate in Australia?

My records show that 80% of Australian surrogacy arrangements were founded through existing relationships, while 20% of arrangements involved new relationships. Of the new relationships, the vast majority found each other through social media, including the Australian Surrogacy Community on Facebook and other state-based surrogacy groups.

Will we find a surrogate through the Surrogacy Australia Support Service? My records indicate that this is unlikely, and this is supported by their own reports. Surrogacy Australia claims credit for less than 10 arrangements across 7 years, of which several most were already self-matched when they joined the Service. Rather than wasting time and money on Surrogacy Australia, I suggest joining social media groups where you are more likely to be successful.

From 2024, I started recording more details of how Australian surrogacy arrangements involving existing relationships found each other. The majority, 50% involve friends, while 13% involve sisters or sisters-in-law. 21% involve other relatives including mothers, cousins and aunts, while the remaining 15% involve work colleagues. If you haven’t shared your story with your networks, this should be your encouragement to do so.

Australian versus international surrogacy

There are less than 150 surrogacy births across Australia each year, and many more children born overseas for Australian intended parents. For every child born at home, there are three born overseas, and this is recorded through records such as ANZARD and the Department of Immigration.

If you are new to surrogacy, you can download the free Surrogacy Handbook which explains the processes and options.

Sarah has published a book, More Than Just a Baby: A Guide to Surrogacy for Intended Parents and Surrogates, the only guide to surrogacy in Australia.

Looking for a surrogate and not sure where to start? We Need a Surrogate – What’s Next? And if you have a surrogate or intended parents, you can get started on the surrogacy process.

You can read a broad overview for surrogacy in Australia and how it works.