
Kelly O’Dwyer was told to express more milk to avoid missing parliamentary proceedings. Catherine King MP is knows what that is like…
The advice to Liberal MP and new mum Kelly O’Dwyer to “express more milk” so she could add one more vote to the government’s 30 seat majority was not only insulting, but badly out of date.
For seven years the parliament has had an agreement that nursing mums can simply advise the whip they are breastfeeding and not cost their party a vote.
Parliament’s standing orders – rules which govern behaviour in the chamber – allow new mums who are breastfeeding to be given a proxy vote in the Parliament.
This means their vote is counted even if they are not physically in the chamber.
