The number of international adoptions hit a record low in the last financial year. The Abbott government announced on Sunday it  will begin opening up inter country adoption arrangements with the United States, Vietnam and Poland. Australian officials are also in talks with four other countries.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott also announced plans to create a new national bureau to help Australian families to negotiate the complexities of adopting from overseas.

According to figures released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in December, 317 domestic and intercountry adoptions took place in Australia in 2013-14, the lowest total figure on record and a fall of 9 per cent from the previous year.

Mr Abbott said the new agency, the Intercountry Adoption Support Service, would be a "one stop shop" for prospective families.

Trained case workers would be assigned to advocate on behalf of prospective parents, including liaising with state authorities and partner countries.

"There are millions of children in overseas orphanages who would dearly love to have parents. There are thousands of Australians who would dearly love to help those kids have a family," he said.

Under the scheme, states and territories will still be responsible for administering adoptions and determining eligibility.

Adoption reform campaigner Deborra-Lee Furness, the NSW Australian of the Year, acknowledged that adopting from overseas "is complex and it's tricky", but called for more work to be done on supporting families adopting from war zones and other traumatic backgrounds.

"There are so many debates around this issue that need to take place for people to step up and it gets in the too hard basket, which is why no one follows through."

Adopt Change chairman John O'Neill said the "biggest inhibitor" to intercountry adoptions was the shortage of countries Australians could adopt from.

At present, Australians can only adopt from nine countries, compared with the United States which has arrangements with up to 100 partner countries.

"The steps the government is taking to open up new relationships with more countries is at the heart of improving the system," he said. "Needless to say, you need appropriate safeguards and an ethical framework for this."

Mr O'Neill, the former head of Tourism NSW was adopted himself and is also the father of a 10-year-old son adopted from Korea.

"We would have happily adopted a brother for our son but the system seized up and the waiting list blew out which is indicative of problems that have beset intercountry adoption," he said.