Religious groups won't be exempt as Victoria pushes to end discrimination against same sex couples in adoption laws.
A bill introduced to the Victorian Parliament on Tuesday aims to remove discrimination in the adoption act which prohibits same sex couples from adopting a child.
It also removes a provision of the equal opportunity act that allows religious organisations to use faith-based reasons to discriminate in adoptions.
Equality minister Martin Foley said the reforms were long overdue and would highlight what adoptive children needed most - a loving family.
"The best interests of children are determined by being in a loving family - it is not gender and it is not sexuality," Mr Foley told reporters.
No religious exemptions would be allowed as the government did not want to reform the sector without removing all forms of discrimination, he said.
Mr Foley said Victoria had four adoption service providers. Three of them were religion-based and only one of these - CatholicCare - did not support the reforms.
The opposition said it would comment after seeing the bill but there are indications the reforms will face opposition in the upper house.
Upper house MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins, from the Democratic Labour Party, said she was opposed to same-sex adoption and exemptions were needed.
"I will definitely be looking for religious exemptions for places like CatholicCare to be able to continue to provide the adoption services ... with the ability to follow their religious beliefs."
