Australia’s House of Representatives will allow members of parliament to breastfeed and bottle-feed infants in the chamber, after a motion to remove “antiquated” restrictions on the practice was passed.
Standing order 257 prohibits visitors from entering the chamber, making it possible for MPs to raise objections with the Speaker if another MP brings an infant into the chamber. Under the changes passed on Tuesday, the definition of “visitor” will be changed to exclude infants in need of care.
“I want to see as many women entering parliament as possible and for them to not be deterred by any antiquated rules or practices that currently govern how our parliament operates,” leader of the house, Christopher Pyne, said. “There is absolutely no reason that rules should remain in place which make life in politics and the parliament more difficult for women.”
The changes will also apply to men with caring responsibilities who need to bring their infants into the chamber.
Pyne said the changes make the House of Representatives the “most family-friendly chamber of any parliament in Australia”.
“While this significant change only requires a single sentence to be amended in the rule book, I hope it sends a clear message,” he said.
The reform has the support of the Labor opposition.
“We’ve landed with very sensible changes to the standing orders,” the manager of opposition business, Tony Burke, told the chamber. “It’ll be a long time, and possibly never, before this job is truly family friendly, but this is a significant way of trying to improve and deal with some of the challenges that have occurred in recent times.”
Burke said it was time that the reforms were implemented, noting that it was “extraordinary” that there had been controversy about the proposal in the past.
Three MPs have given birth recently, with a further four becoming fathers.
An inquiry into making the chamber more family friendly was initiated in October, shortly after the minister for small business, Kelly O’Dwyer, was reportedly told to “express more milk” in order to feed her baby so she did not miss a vote.
The procedure committee recommended the definition of visitor be changed just a few weeks later.
In 2003, the Senate changed its definition of “visitor” to exclude breastfeeding infants, but does not go so far as to include infants in need of other care.
