Media & News

28 November 2025

The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) acknowledges the Victorian Government’s decision to impose additional restrictions on Monash IVF following two serious incidents earlier this year. These events have understandably shaken public confidence and caused distress for the families affected.

06 October 2025

Following the conclusion of the National Rapid review into the ART and IVF sectors, the Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has released the Victorian Government’s Rapid Review of Assisted Reproductive Technology and In Vitro Fertilisation Regulation and Accreditation in Australia (September 2025).

12 September 2025

The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) acknowledges the outcomes of the Health Ministers’ Meeting and the commitment to reform in assisted reproductive technology (ART) and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) services.

01 September 2025

The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) acknowledges an online article published today by the ABC regarding an administrative error by a United States based sperm bank, which led to an IVF patient in Australia receiving sperm from a donor other than the one they selected. As reported by the ABC, the patient was treated at a Queensland Fertility Group (QFG) clinic and the error resulted in the birth of a baby of a different ethnicity than expected, alerting the family to the mistake.

20 August 2025

The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) acknowledges the release today of Monash IVF’s statement to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) regarding the independent investigation into the two incorrect embryo transfer events. Monash IVF has confirmed that, following a thorough review, the incidents were the result of human error.

“Our thoughts remain first and foremost with the families directly affected by these events, and with the staff who have also been deeply impacted. FSANZ recognises that this disclosure, while containing no patient-identifying details, may cause significant distress to patients and the wider community,” said FSANZ President, Dr Petra Wale.

13 June 2025

The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) welcome the commitment to a 3-month review exploring pathways towards an independent Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee (RTAC) strengthened state-based regulation and the potential benefits of a national regulatory approach.

12 June 2025

The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) acknowledges the resignation of Monash IVF CEO, Michael Knaap. FSANZ recognises the contributions to the fertility sector that Mr Knaap has made since his appointment in 2019 and appreciates the complexity of the events that have led to his decision to resign.

10 June 2025

Monash IVF Group Limited announced via the ASX that an incident occurred at its Clayton laboratory on 5 June, where a patient’s own embryo was mistakenly transferred instead of their partner’s, contrary to the treatment plan. Monash IVF has apologised to the couple involved and is providing ongoing support. The incident has been reported to the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee (RTAC), a subcommittee of FSANZ and the Victorian Health Regulator. An internal investigation is underway, and the scope of the existing independent review has been expanded to include this most recent incident.

02 May 2025

In recent weeks, there have been a series of media reports following the serious incident at an IVF clinic, including discussing audits undertaken by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee (RTAC). IVF clinics in Australia are licensed against a Code of Practice audited by certifying bodies accredited by the Joint Accreditation System for Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ). The system is administered by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee (RTAC) of the Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ).

12 December 2024

The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) is pleased to release the final report: Findings, Recommendations, and Framework for an Australian 10-Year Fertility Roadmap.

Commissioned by FSANZ and authored by former Federal Health Minister, Professor the Hon. Greg Hunt, and Dr. Rachel Swift, D.Phil in Embryology and Rhodes Scholar, this report is the product of extensive consultation across the fertility sector, government, and the wider public. Through submissions and interviews, key stakeholders from Australia and New Zealand have provided invaluable insights that have shaped the report’s recommendations.

15 September 2024

Australia has a once in a generation chance to create a national plan for fertility care, including Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and specifically IVF, according to a new review by the Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ). Australia’s birthrate has dropped by over half in the last 60 years, from a total of 3.5 births per woman in 1960 to 1.63 in 2022. This declining fertility rate is both associated with a decreased overall birth rate and the median age of the mother increasing over the last half-century, from 25.4 in 1971 to 31.9 in 2022.

04 June 2024

Dr Petra Wale, President of the Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has announced a major initiative to commission a comprehensive review of governance and standards within the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and IVF sector across Australia and New Zealand. This review will culminate in the development of a detailed 10-year roadmap aimed at establishing uniform national legislation for ART and IVF providers in Australia, while continuing to align with New Zealand’s principles of the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Act 2004.

17 February 2023

The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has thrown its support behind moves to establish a national sperm donation register.

The peak Australasian body representing scientists, doctors, researchers, nurses, fertility counsellors and patients in the field of assisted reproduction warns of dangers associated with unregulated on-line sperm donations and home insemination.

15 February 2021

The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has cautiously welcomed the launch of the Your IVF Success website as a tool to help patients seeking or undergoing in vitro fertilisation to predict their chances of having a baby. FSANZ President, Professor Luk Rombauts, said the website would hopefully help patients to make more informed choices about IVF treatment …

25 June 2020

In June 1980, Candice Thum (nee Reed) was born as Australia’s first IVF baby and the third in the world.

Since then, more than 200,000 Australians have been born from assisted conception, the equivalent of one child in every classroom across the country, while the global population of IVF individuals now exceeds 7.5 million