Hugh Jackman knows how Madonna feels

Hollywood star Hugh Jackman has taken a swipe at Australia's strict laws on adopting children from overseas.

Jackman says he understood the problems Madonna faced in her failed attempt to adopt a second child from Malawi after he and his wife went through similar angst in Australia.

Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness had wanted to adopt a child from Africa or Asia but found Australia's laws on overseas adoptions made it impossible.

The couple ended up adopting Oscar, eight, and Ava, three, from the United States instead.

"The adoption laws in Australia are too restrictive," Jackman told The Sun newspaper in Britain on Thursday.

"Of course, checks need to be made. But they had a very negative approach.

"It was like they were trying to discourage you.

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"There are 130 million orphans in the world - who is looking after them? If you are a citizen of the world, on some level they are all our responsibility.

"And if you have got parents who want to adopt and there are children who need a home, it seems like a no-brainer.

"There are not that many children in Australia who need adopting, so we looked internationally and that is what is difficult."

Jackman and Furness adopted their son and daughter after suffering several miscarriages.

He sympathised with Madonna's recent failed attempt to adopt a Malawian orphan girl, Mercy James, to add to her brood of Lourdes, 12, Rocco, eight, and three-year-old David Banda, who she adopted from Malawi three years ago.

"I challenge anyone who thinks you adopt a kid for a publicity stunt," Jackman says.

"Any parent knows that would have to be the most intensive publicity stunt in the world. I am sure she is coming from a good place."

Jackman says he and his wife had no plans to adopt more children.

"We think about another adoption," he says.

"Then every time we get on a plane with our two kids and are all crammed in together, we think maybe we will leave it at what we have.

"Our first child was not the easiest of babies, which is why we left it five years before the second. Our second was a dream baby." link....