Misattribute of Paternity & Paternity Fraud AUSTRALIA

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Providing Support for Victims and their Families in Distress

Providing relief to the distressed victims caused by Misattribute of Paternity and Paternity Fraud.

Misattribute of Paternity occurs when a man is knowingly and incorrectly identified as the biological father of a child by the mother.

Our Objectives

There are 3 primary victims in a case of Misattribute of Paternity; the child, the biological father and the male falsely identified by the mother to be the child's father. Other victims include, but are not limited to; grandparents, aunties, uncles, brothers and sisters.

Paternity Presumption

“In Australia there are some cases where the Court and other agencies, such as Child Support - Services Australia and the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, will accept that a person is the parent of a child without any other evidence. This includes:

When a man was married to the mother and the child was born:
- during their marriage
- within 44 weeks of the marriage ending by death or annulment
When a man lived with the mother (but they were not married) at any time from 44 to 20 weeks before the child was born.
When a man is on the birth certificate as the father or has signed something (such as a statutory declaration) saying he is the father.
When a court has made a statement in the past that the man is the father.”

Source - Legal Aid, WA. Learn more

“Paternity Fraud rates are as high as 10% or about 30,000 Australian children each year. Out of the total population of Australia, that might mean that 2,200,000 people are victims of Paternity Fraud”.

Source - Australian Children’s Rights Council. Learn more

“Knowing your accurate family medical history from birth will help you identify any risks and allows you to take steps to reduce these risks for a longer, healthier life”.

Source - Your family health history, Healthy WA. Learn more

“Everyone’s experience of this is individual and unique”.

— SHARNA TIMMER | CO-FOUNDER, Reynoldswrite Foundation Inc

Knowledge is Power

Knowledge is power, power provides information, information leads to education, education is a powerful tool for change.

Access our Library of Support Resources

We are committed to relieving the distress by providing services which will lessen the distress that victims and their families have to endure when faced with these issues.

We want our experiences to matter so we can help others too.

Please refer to our support resources if you find yourself a victim or family member in distress. We also encourage you to contact us below if you require any other additional support.

View the Support Resources