The referral
Conduct of the inquiry
Acknowledgements
Previous inquiries
Key concepts and definitions

The experience of disability: womanhood, sexuality and parenthood
Insufficient support and the need for sterilisation
Services, Support, Training and Education
Conclusion

The international human rights framework
Commonwealth
State and Territory
Conclusion

Arguments for the prohibition of the sterilisation of children, and the sterilisation of adults without their free and informed consent
Arguments against a broad-based prohibition
Committee view

Representation and participation in proceedings before courts and tribunals
The 'best interests' test
Committee view

An adversarial process?
The cost of Family Court proceedings
Expertise of Family Court judicial officers
Committee view

Are sterilisation procedures happening at the same rate across Australia?
Table 7.1: The number of sterilisation applications considered by State and Territory tribunals
Table 7.2: Estimates of the number of Commonwealth child sterilisation cases that have received legal aid funding
Table 7.3: Medicare data on vasectomies in males age 15 to 24
The argument for uniform legislative and procedural requirements
Further proposed legislative amendment – the need for uniform offences