Federal MP Josh Burns and Victorian MP Georgie Purcell have announced the birth of their daughter – whose name offers a subtle nod to their political backgrounds.
The couple took to social media on Monday night to announce the arrival of Lilah Poppy Purcell, who was born on Friday 19 December, weighing 2.56kg.
Burns is the Labor MP for the federal seat of Macnamara, in inner-Melbourne, while Purcell is an Animal Justice party MP, representing northern Victoria in the state’s upper house.
Although the couple say it wasn’t intentional, their daughter’s name reflects their politics: Lilah, meaning lilac, a purple flower, represents the Animal Justice party’s colour, and Poppy, a red flower, represents Labor.
Purcell said Lilah has already made quite an entrance, arriving earlier than expected at 37 weeks and five days.
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“Lilah is definitely proving to be my daughter – she is a little impatient, insisting on bursting into the world sooner than we were expecting. But she came at a time that was so desperately needed for our little family,” she said in a statement.
“Becoming a mum was never part of my plan but in just a few short days she has shown me that I simply couldn’t imagine a life without her.”
Purcell said Lilah was her “daily reminder that the decisions we make now will echo for generations”.
“As I take a short break from work, she is the inspiration I need to return to parliament and an election next year to fight for a fairer, kinder world,” she said.
Burns, one of Labor’s most prominent Jewish MPs, spent much of last week responding to the Bondi terror attack. He said he had experienced “both immense lows and highs over the past week”.
“My heart will always stay with my community who are in mourning, but I’m also feeling so grateful for the arrival of Lilah. She is already loved completely and I am so excited for the future with her in our lives,” he said.
“The events of last week were utterly devastating to not only my community but to Australia more broadly. It highlighted to us that we have so much more to do to make Jews feel safe in their own country.”
Lilah has a big sister called Tia, whom Burns shares with his ex-wife. He said he was “determined” to raise both of his daughters to be “proud of their Jewish heritage and proud to express it openly, and safely, in Australia”.
The couple made their official public debut at Canberra’s 2024 Midwinter Ball. A year later, they announced their pregnancy on social media, with Purcell telling followers she was receiving weekly medical checks as she was deemed high-risk due to her autoimmune condition.
They have acknowledged the public interest in their relationship, due to both Purcell’s support for Palestinian recognition and their belonging to different political parties.
Purcell has said she plans to return to work when parliament resumes in February and will recontest her seat at the November 2026 state election.
