Moment Australian senator breastfeeds her baby in parliament for first time ever
THE Australian senator Larissa Waters has made political history in Australia by breastfeeding in the federal parliament.
Larissa Waters breastfed her daughter in the Australian Senate
The Australian Greens party senator helped change the parliament’s breastfeeding rules last year.
Ms Waters returned to parliament today after the birth of her daughter, Alia Joy, two months ago and breastfed the baby when she was hungry.
The 40-year-old mother took to Twitter to express her pride, saying: “So proud that my daughter Alia is the first baby to be breastfed in the federal parliament! We need more women and parents in parliament.”
The Australian Government did not used to allow breastfeeding in the chamber
Larissa Waters
Ms Waters has also called for more family-friendly and flexible workplaces and affordable childcare for everyone.
Her colleague Katy Gallagher said: “Women have been doing it in parliaments around the world. It is great to see it is able to occur now in the senate.
“Women are going to continue to have babies and if they want to do their job and be at work and look after their baby, the reality is that we are going to have to accommodate that.”
Last year, an Icelandic MP breastfed her baby while she was speaking at the national parliament.
Eight years ago, the Greens Australian senator Sarah Hanson-Young had her two-year-old daughter taken out of the Australian Parliament.
Australia is striving for a family-friendly government
The Lib Dem MP and equalities minister, Jo Swinson, has said that it is “bizarre” that MPs are banned from taking their babies into the Commons in the UK.
A study on tackling sexism in parliament said that breast-feeding should be allowed in the House of Commons to encourage firms to have more “family friendly” policies.