Paul Robilliard, Australia's ambassador to Thailand, has batted away questions over whether Canberra is undermining Thailand's surrogacy laws.
Australia's Ambassador to Thailand has defended citizenship being granted to surrogate babies despite Thailand trying to end the commercial practice.
Thailand's National Assembly passed a law banning surrogacy earlier this year, but the legislation is yet to be published in the Royal Gazette to become effective.
The issue of commercial surrogacy in Thailand emerged last year after a Western Australian couple left behind a surrogate twin boy who had Down Syndrome.
In Australia, Nationals MP George Christensen has questioned why embassies were still granting "citizenship and passports without thinking twice".
But Australia's Ambassador to Thailand Paul Robilliard told reporters in Bangkok that citizenship would be granted provided it was possible to show the child was related to an Australian.
"The situation is that if a baby is shown to be a descendant of an Australian, it has Australian citizenship extended to them by law," he said on Wednesday.
"They become an Australian citizen and then become eligible for an Australian passport."
Senior DFAT officials held talks in Thailand last year to negotiate a transition period to allow over 100 Thai women, carrying the children of Australian couples, to give birth.
Mr Robilliard batted away questions over whether Australia was undermining Thailand's law.
"We've had very good co-operation between the embassy and all Thai agencies on this very difficult issue," he said.
His comments follow criticism from a House of Representatives standing committee in Canberra on the surrogacy policy.
The report from the bipartisan standing committee on social policy and legal affairs called for a full inquiry into commercial surrogacy.
Mr Christensen, the committee's chairman, was reported as saying Australian embassy staff in Thailand had continued to issue passports for surrogate babies despite legislation there making the process illegal.
He said Australian authorities in Thailand had been receiving applications knowing children were being born through surrogacy arrangements, and that they were still issuing passports.
In comments to the committee, Federal Circuit Court Chief Judge John Pascoe expressed concern about the continued operations of commercial surrogacy in developing countries.
"I am very concerned, and anecdotally I am told, that there are Australians very much involved in the surrogacy clinics," he was reported as saying.
The issue hit international headlines in 2014 when Baby Gammy, who has Down Syndrome, was left in the country.
The child was recently granted Australian citizenship.
His Thai mother, Pattaramon Chanbua, says she faces health problems and needs citizenship to allow Gammy access to Australian medical care.
DFAT on its official travel advisory website advises Australians travelling to Thailand "not to visit for the purpose of engaging in commercial surrogacy arrangements".
Source:
AAP
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