If you are thinking about joining the Surrogacy Australia Support Service (SASS), you should know the full reality. Based on my experience advising hundreds of intended parents and surrogates, SASS is not effective, not regulated, and carries significant risks.

80% of intended parents find a surrogate through friends or family, while others connect via social media surrogacy communities. SASS itself reports only one or two successful matches per year. Paying over $1,300 to join rarely leads to a match. In my records of more than 600 Australian surrogacy arrangements over the past four years, fewer than 0.5 percent were facilitated by SASS.

Surrogacy Australia Support Service claims credit for matches it does not make, misleading vulnerable intended parents. Many parents pay high fees hoping to find a surrogate, only to receive minimal support, often limited to generic emails and no real opportunities to meet a surrogate. Many people feel pressured to stay silent about their negative experiences, fearing it might harm their chances of finding a surrogate.

The service has also misused personal images and intellectual property. SASS has shared surrogates’ and intended parents’ photos without consent, including birth and surrogacy images, which is likely a breach of privacy and surrogacy laws. They have also used my blog articles and other resources behind a paywall without permission.

Staff employed by the Surrogacy Australia Support Service have no legal, counselling, or medical qualifications yet provide advice and support that can have real consequences for emotional wellbeing and legal outcomes. Claiming benevolent intent does not mean SASS is harmless. Unqualified advice can put intended parents, surrogates, and children at risk.

The Surrogacy Australia Support Service is unregulated, not a government service, and operates outside the law. Surrogacy laws vary by state, and in several states it is illegal to recruit, match, or facilitate a surrogacy arrangement. Advertising for surrogates or intended parents is prohibited in some states. SASS cannot guarantee the success of an arrangement, cannot ensure parties are a good match, and takes no responsibility if a parentage order is denied or a relationship breaks down. Connections with for-profit overseas surrogacy providers such as Growing Families create conflicts of interest that may not align with your best interests.

Before paying for any service, you should be clear on exactly what you are getting. Ask how many successful matches were made last year, what qualifications staff have, what the fees actually cover, whether there is a refund policy, and whether you might be paying for services you will need elsewhere anyway. Consider whether there are conflict of interest or financial arrangements with other agencies or clinics.

There are safer and effective alternatives. Most surrogates are found through friends, family, or surrogacy community events, which are free to access. Free resources, including the Surrogacy Handbook, Blog, podcast, and the surrogacy community, provide guidance without the cost or risk of joining a service like SASS.

If SASS is not a viable or legal option for finding a surrogate in Australia, what are the alternatives? Most intended parents find a surrogate within their own friend and family networks, while others connect through online surrogacy communities. State-based Facebook groups often host catch-ups, picnics, dinners, and social gatherings that anyone in the community can attend. Many of my clients have found a surrogate simply by sharing their story with friends and family, which then spreads naturally through their wider networks. You never know where you might find a surrogate, and these opportunities are freely accessible without paying for an unregulated, often ineffective matching service.

The bottom line is clear: the Surrogacy Australia Support Service is expensive, ineffective, potentially illegal, unregulated, unqualified, and can exploit vulnerable intended parents. Joining carries real risks, and there are safer, free, and effective ways to find a surrogate in Australia. I say this as a lawyer with 20 years’ experience, ten of which have been in surrogacy law. There is no financial gain for me in raising these concerns, only the responsibility to be honest: SASS is not a safe or reliable option.

We need to regulate surrogacy matching services in Australia that requires surrogacy matching services to be licensed and adhere to strict standards. Such a framework would also necessarily regulate so-called ‘surrogacy awards.‘

For independent guidance, you can book a consultation with me, read the free Surrogacy Handbook, or explore my book for reliable, evidence-based support.