The Adoption Act 1994 states:
A person who is 18 or more years of age may be adopted by a relative or a person who was a carer or step-parent of the first-mentioned person immediately before the first-mentioned person attained 18 years of age.
“Step-parent” means, in relation to a person, another person who –
(a) is not a birth parent or adoptive parent of the first mentioned person; and
(b) is married to, or the de facto partner of, the first- mentioned person’s birth parent or adoptive parent.
“Carer” in relation to a child, means a person with whom the child lives and who, either alone or jointly with another person, has the daily care of the child.
