Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
AN AUSTRALIAN SENATOR has made political history by becoming the first politician to breastfeed in the nation’s parliament.
Senator Larissa Waters, from the Green party, fed her two-month-old daughter Alia Joy during a vote yesterday as she returned to work in the upper house Senate for the first time since giving birth.
“So proud that my daughter Alia is the first baby to be breastfed in the federal Parliament! We need more #women & parents in Parli,” Waters wrote on Twitter.
The lower house changed its rules last year and joined the Senate to allow lawmakers to breastfeed and bottle-feed in the chamber, however no MPs from either house had done so until now.
Breastfeeding has been permitted in the Australian Senate since 2003.
The rule change came around following a backlash in 2015 when a government minister, Kelly O’Dwyer, was requested to consider pumping milk to avoid missing her parliamentary duties.
Breastfeeding in public has become a hot topic in many countries, and female lawmakers have been criticised for taking their babies to parliamentary sessions.
Last year, a politician in Iceland spoke in parliament while breastfeeding her baby daughter, and infants are allowed in the European and Spanish parliaments.
Waters later tweeted about Australian Victorian state politician Kirstie Marshall who was ejected from the chamber for breastfeeding her baby back in 2003, stating “Look how far we have come”.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to get disheartened by the sexism women still face in the workplace,” Waters wrote on Facebook this morning.
“But sometimes it pays to look back and see how far we have come.”
Waters has since changed her Facebook profile photo to an image of herself breastfeeding in parliament, attracting dozens of mostly positive comments.
Labour Senator Katy Gallagher said the moment deserved to be acknowledged.
“Women have been doing it in parliaments around the world,” she told Sky News Australia.
“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 we are going to have to accommodate that.”
A recent report on diversity in UK politics recommended that the House of Commons should consider allowing breastfeeding.
The issue of breastfeeding by Irish politicians has never arisen in the Dáil, however the topic itself has come up numerous times.
Additional reporting by AFP.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Expect to see Ruth Coppinger breastfeeding Richard Boyd Barret in Dail Eireann next week.
@Jack Cassady:
Great comment.
@Jack Cassady: https://media0.giphy.com/media/pVAMI8QYM42n6/giphy.gif
@Jack Cassady: Duuude!!!! Brilliant comment lol!
@Jack Cassady: breast comment ever
Thank you all for your kind remarks.
(I’m here most days)
@Jack Cassady: or Daly feeding Wallace.
@Jack Cassady: Close the comments now, this won’t be bettered!
@Jack Cassady: I’m just waiting for someone to accuse you of being a member of the “FG Fraperoom”.
@David Murphey: no worries there …fg fraperoom don’t do funny…
Bleedin attention seeker.
@Les Behan: or a women just doing something perfectly natural that women have been able to do for many, many, many thousands of years until backwards thinking made it “shameful”.
It’s certainly not attention seeking, its making something normal that is normal.
@Barry Somers: So because of this, now all women in Australia can bring their children to work, stop in the middle of their shift and feed their child when it needs feeding? No this will not happen. Therefore it’s attention seeking.
@Barry Somers: Taking a dump is natural too but you wouldn’t get away with that in Parliament
@Barry Somers: the dump analogy is a good one. Its every human’s right to dump, but should it be done in public?
@mcdb06: “Taking a dump is natural too but you wouldn’t get away with that in Parliament”
Every time a politician speaks, fecal material comes out of their mouth, and they get away with it all the time.
@mcdb06: babies require feeding, they are solely reliant on a mother for that, I’m sure you’re a grown up and can wait to do your poos no?
@Karen Dempsey: breast pump
@Les Behan: I wouldn’t call it attention seeking. I’d say its raising awareness that this is a completely natural thing to do and women shouldn’t be afraid to do this in public. Fair play to her. Breast is best afterall
@Breandán Ó hEidhin: It’s not though. As I keep pointing out other women don’t have the luxury of bringing their young children to work and feed them while at working. If breastfeeding is an equality issue then this is not equality. All this is saying is, depending on your position in life, certain situations are open to you but not others. She’s using the breastfeeding issue for her own ends.
@Karen Dempsey: I wouldn’t think he is grown up enough to do his poos unaided by the sounds of him.
@Karen Dempsey: There are such things as breastmilk express pumps. If it was the norm for mothers in Australia to be able to bring their babies to work so they can breastfeed them then I would have no issue with it.
@Les Behan: Man you have really got your knickers in a twist over this haven’t you. If woman are able to do this during work let them at it. If they can’t, it’s their choice to work in that job or alternatively they could use a breast pump or use formula. Sad little man
@Les Behan: Anti Feminist Troll
@Barry Somers:
It is perfectly natural to have a pee, a poo or even a little play with ones self and we have done it for many thousand and thousands of years. Would u support these activities in the parliament?
I couldn’t care less about breastfeeding in public places, no one should but this is just attention seeking of the highest order. who brings their kids to work for one.
@David Linehan: is it attention seeking? If it is then it’s a good thing, breast feeding should be encouraged, and as a politician she’s doing her job by bringing up awareness in parliament.
Or it could be that she’s feeding her new born who requires food.
The issue is, what is the martinerty pay like in Australia and by returning after 2 months is she saying that is all that new mothers should get?
I have a strange feeling she went thorough 9 months of preganancy just to send that tweet. Politicians are a strange bunch.
@Gulliver Foyle:
Move over Emmeline Pankhurst.- A new feminist icon is born.
@Jack Cassady: Looks like Islamist Linda Sarsour has some competition.
@Gulliver Foyle: ha! the amount of men on here that are just dying to jump on every female article to tell us how they are attention seeking! Sad.
@Deborah Behan: no problem with breastfeeding anywhere, I’ve only the normal “anyone of any sex bringing any baby in the workplace” issue – Australia has 5 months paid maternity leave, and can proxy any senate vote during that leave. After 5 months, the senate just last month passed a bill for a rebate for childcare costs up to 15 years of age for working between 9 and 3. Which begs the question, why if she wanted to go back to work, she moved her breastfeeding schedule around when she was going to be in the chamber, and I think the answer is: just cause. And that kind of flippant show-offery just makes those that work in industrial or office environments that don’t have on site creches harder done by.
And did you just presume I was a man? Shame! . ;-)
@Deborah Behan: Nothing “sad” about having a differing opinion if yourself.
@Deborah Behan:
In fairness Deborah the men on here that jump on a female article also jump on water, housing, FG, FF, HSE articles etc etc. Looking for a female link when it doesn’t exist it not a great idea
I don’t get it, how come she can bring her child to work? Is she bringing it into all her meetings? Most people can’t just start bringing their children with them to work. It is just weird, if I employed somebody and they brought their child in they aren’t focusing on their job. Insurance would be an issue too. Bringing a child to work is not a right.
@Kal Ipers: Was wondering about this too!
@Yvonne Gavican:
Me too
Non-story
Despite the advances made since the seventies, many people of all ages and sexes won’t tolerate this basic human right – to feed your child in public. I salute this woman…
@TippWoman: She’s not in public. This is a PR stunt nothing more. What about other Australian women? Can they bring their children to their place of work and openly feed their child? Women bus drivers, women cops,baker,bankers candlestick makers etc. No that’s what maternity leave is for.
@TippWoman: oh give us a break. She’s at work, she should act like it. Using her baby for publicity is all she is doing.
@TippWoman: no problem as long as she can give full attention to her job representing the her voters
@Les Behan: Why don’t you try explaining all that to a hungry baby and let us know how you get on?
@TippWoman: So what happens when there’s loads of women with babies in Parliament and they all start crying together enough to stop the debates? What next for Head of the house?
So when the milk goes in it sure as hell comes out. Should these ladies be allowed change the nappies in the Parliament chamber?
I’m just trying to work out a way to implement it and the answers are not flowing.
Is an onsite crèche and feeding room the way forward or should provided free of charge. Or should it be compulsory to take full Maternity leave?
@Brian Casey: Why don’t you stop posting silly comments?
@Les Behan: Why don’t you come up with a more intelligent reply instead of one from the playground?
Somethings should be done in private, thats definitely one of them.
@Stephen: Why?
@meatyslaps: ‘cos it gives Stephen the heebie-jeebies maybe.
@Stephen: you can’t beat catching a glimpse of a tit. Enjoy it.
@Marcus Philpott: To quote Friends when someone was breastfeeding:
“It’s the most beautiful, natural thing in the world”
“Yeah but there’s a baby in front of it!”
@meatyslaps: even other animals like pigs, prefer a bit a privicy when the piglets are suckling.
@Stephen: Says whom?
@Stephen: so you eat in private?
What she’s doing is perfectly normal for her as a new mother and for the baby, if you think it needs to be done in private then you appear to have some issues.
@Barry Somers: Women should be able to breastfeed in any suitable place, they’re just feeding her their kids. If I ran an establishment I’d let it be known that its welcome. However, in this case its pure attention seeking – she had plenty of other options including ones legislated for by the Oz Gov, and still had the option of expressing and having a relation or partner do the feed this one time. Ridiculous attention seeking stuff.
@Barry Somers: Loads of things in human nature are natural, calls of nature etc, but we’ve learned as a species that taking a dump, in full public view is frowned upon.
@Seamus Mc Meel: Miss Piggy
@Stephen: So eating in full public view is frowned upon? Breastfeeding is not akin to using the toilet.
@Stephen: seriously?
When a politician does it in parliament, it’s heralded as boundary breaking but when I do it in public, I’m condemned!!!!
@Alan O’Rourke: Brings to mind the scene from Life of Brian where, although they eventually recognise its not physically possible, they pledge to fight for Stan’s right to have a baby….
@Kieran Magennis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKH9ECC_Qa4
Why stop there? Why aren’t female pilots, doctors, train drivers or any other role requiring your full undivided attention not also allowed nurse children on the job? Isn’t this like totes discrimination?
@8bitplebian: Sorry but if I’m 35,000 feet in the air and the woman tasked with getting me there safely is feeding her kid, that’s not okay!!!
@8bitplebian:
I can’t bring my kids into work and feed them with a bottle. He is just an attention seeking politician.
The front benches of our Dáil have been full of tits for years!
@John Fairclough: Oh ho ho. That really is a funny one. Now please excuse me, I’ve split my actual sides and need to go to the emergency room.
And the point of this is………? Get on with the job you’ve been elected to do.
Seriously….there’s a time and a place. Pure attention seeking as others have said.
There’s surely some workaround other than this.
FFS! Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should! Breast feeding in public is not the same as at your job.
Ooo ffs
No issue with breast feeding but this is a work place.was the child allowed into parliament in the first place ?
It’s a bit brainless bringing your baby into the national parliament chamber in the first place!
@Adrian: Have you ever watched a parliment sitting? They do fu€k all. This is probably the most productive thing happening in there. Good on her!
@Linda: when you think your opinion is fact… Lol
A new low for attention seekers!
Is bringing ones baby to work, other than Parliament, commonplace in Australia?
A lot of people don’t seem to understand that being in work is not the same as being in public.
The Australia parliament allow this natural feeding of an new born baby but refuse to allow gay marriage !
What are they like !!!
Good. At least the baby’s screeching will make more sense and be more mellifluous than the usual type found in parliaments.
One of these individuals who want to milk a situation for all its worth,
This is fine, at least she’s doing it tastefully, and not sitting there topless.
@Ben Coughlan:
The House could be suspended for an hour or more if young Ms Waters decides a vote on a No 1.
I agree that it’s a workplace and if everyone were to bring their kids to work it would be mayhem but for those of you who simply have a problem because she is feeding a baby in public, get over yourselves. Not everyone has time to express milk and some babies are more demanding than others. And no baby should have to be fed in a toilet or away from everyone because a few people have some kind of issues. They are breasts, half the adult population has them and they are there to feed babies, so best people get on with their own business and let mothers do what is best for their babies without judgment or interruption from a bunch of backward prudes. .
Breaking news….mother feeds her hungry baby!!
@Olivia Ahern: breaking news. A person at work thinks they are more special than everyone else.
@Seth Cheffetz: Breaking news, a person at work is acting within the rules of her particular workplace and feeding her hungry child.
@Derry Seery: perhaps she should take her maternity leave rather than using her new baby for a publicity stunt.
@Derry Seery:
Breaking news: Derry Seery can’t see when a politician is looking for attention.
She could still be on maternity leave but decided to bring her child into her place of work & use it for a political stunt.
Is he giving her undivided attention to her job? It certainly doesn’t look like it.
A natural thing. What’s the big deal?
@prop joe: So is masturbation and going to the toilet but I guarantee you do them in public it will not be well received!
@CeannairBlue: so you never eat in public? Very strange.
@CeannairBlue: Breastfeeding is not unsanitary excretion of human waste, like going to the toilet. Would you eat your lunch in a bathroom? No, because it’s an unsanitary environment. You cant compare a child being fed to the act of defecation.
Breastfeeding is not a sexual act, like masturbation. If you compare those two, then you have deeper issues to contend with.
@CeannairBlue: a baby getting milk and having a tug. You have a seriously screwed view of the world.
@prop joe:
Masturbation is natural but I wouldn’t do it in work
I was going to make a joke about two Far-Right TD’s and then I remembered they never get elected, LOL!
@Tariq Ibn Ziyad: ‘Ooh,you are awful,but I like you’ – and it ‘sucks’ that no-one bit..lol
@Tariq Ibn Ziyad: FF/FG if you don’t say a prayer you are breaking the rules. I doubt you’ll get a more right wing group politicians.
This story sucks
I was going to join in the misogynistic rants here but then I realised I was such a misogynist I couldn’t spell “misogynistic”!
Jaysus. After reading the article,a couple of things stand out. She was there for a vote. So I think we can safely assume this isn’t a weekly occurrence. Her baby is 2 months old. 2 MONTHS. I’m not sure how clued in most of you negative, moany so and so’s are about feeding toddlers. Breast feeding is about so much more than supplying food. Yes this is a major part. As is comfort. Confidence. Bonding. Forming a trust that’s lasts a lifetime. So if this lady prioritises her child in her critical infant months, we should only salute her. So many of you are visibly angry with her actions. In Australia.
have your say