!! UPDATE !!

We’ve now reached over 300 signatures calling for Safe Haven laws and appropriately regulated Safe Haven Baby Boxes in NSW.

I’m now taking the next step and contacting NSW MPs to seek support for an official NSW Parliament petition and have this issue formally heard. The official NSW Parliament petition will need to meet the required signature threshold for presentation, and I’ll share the link as soon as it has been approved and made available to the public.

Every signature shows an MP that people in the community support action on Safe Haven laws and Safe Haven Baby Boxes. 

Introduce Safe Haven Laws and Safe Haven Baby Boxes in NSW

We call on the NSW Government to introduce Safe Haven legislation in New South Wales and establish appropriately regulated Safe Haven Baby Boxes at secure, accessible locations across NSW’s low socioeconomic areas. 

Every baby deserves a chance to be safe, loved and protected, regardless of the circumstances surrounding their birth. I am calling on the NSW Government to take action to create a Safe Haven system that gives parents experiencing crisis a safe alternative to unsafe abandonment.

Safe Haven Baby Boxes would provide a secure and confidential location where a parent can safely surrender a newborn. Once a baby is placed inside, emergency services can be immediately alerted so the newborn can receive urgent medical assessment and appropriate care.

However, Safe Haven Baby Boxes should be supported by Safe Haven laws that establish a clear legal framework for the safe surrender of newborns. Appropriate legislation could provide legal protections and safeguards for parents who use an approved Safe Haven pathway, while ensuring the safety, wellbeing and future care of the child remain the priority.

Introducing both Safe Haven laws and Safe Haven Baby Boxes in NSW would provide a comprehensive approach to preventing unsafe abandonment and protecting vulnerable newborns.

This initiative is not about judging parents who find themselves in desperate or unimaginable circumstances. It is about recognising that crisis can happen, and ensuring that when a parent feels they have nowhere else to turn, there is a safe and regulated option available.

We are calling on the NSW Government to:

• Introduce appropriate Safe Haven legislation in NSW.
• Establish regulated Safe Haven Baby Boxes at suitable locations across NSW, including Sydney.
• Create clear legal protections, safeguards and procedures for the safe surrender of newborns.
• Ensure every surrendered newborn receives immediate medical assessment and appropriate care.
• Establish pathways to confidential support and assistance for parents experiencing crisis.
• Work with healthcare professionals, emergency services, child protection services, legal experts and the community to develop appropriate safeguards.
• Educate the public about Safe Haven options so parents in crisis know where they can safely seek help.

No newborn should be abandoned in a dangerous location because a parent believes they have no safe alternative.

NSW has the opportunity to create a compassionate and carefully regulated Safe Haven system that puts the safety of newborns first while recognising the complex circumstances that can lead a parent to consider surrendering their baby.