The Australian Law Reform Commission has appointed Associate Professor Ronli Sifris as an Assistant Commissioner for its Review of Surrogacy Laws, adding a leading academic voice to a national examination of how surrogacy is regulated.
Sifris, an Associate Professor in Monash University’s Faculty of Law and Deputy Director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, is a well-regarded specialist on surrogacy and related legal issues, with a substantial research and publishing record.
She will contribute to leading and conducting the inquiry alongside the ALRC inquiry team under the leadership of ALRC President the Hon Justice Mordy Bromberg.
“I am pleased to welcome Dr Ronli Sifris to the ALRC and our Review of Surrogacy Laws. Ronli brings expertise and specialisation on surrogacy laws, and has extensively researched this subject in both the Australian and international contexts. I look forward to working with her on this review.”
The review was announced earlier this year and the ALRC has been asked to deliver its final report to the Attorney-General by 29 July 2026.
Surrogacy in Australia is largely governed by state and territory statutes, with altruistic arrangements permitted and commercial surrogacy prohibited across jurisdictions. Differences in processes for making and recognising parentage orders, and the growth of cross-border arrangements, have long prompted calls from stakeholders for a clearer, more consistent national approach. Bringing in Sifris’s human rights expertise signals a focus on the rights and interests of children, surrogate mothers and intended parents within any proposed reforms.
Further information, including the review’s terms of reference and updates on the inquiry, is available on the ALRC website: https://www.alrc.gov.au/inquiry/review-of-surrogacy-laws/ and https://www.alrc.gov.au/inquiry/review-of-surrogacy-laws/terms-of-reference.
