SA government MP Jayne Stinson urges more 'inclusive' parliament for working parents
A new type of challenge for the Member for BABCO. Can I have a play in the sun, buddy? There we go, baby. Quinn is only a few weeks old but has already attended A parliament sitting his mum marks history by being the first S Australian lower house member to take formal maternity leave under new rules. Previously MPs had to seek permission if they plan to be absent longer than 12 sitting days. Obviously these days maternity leave is a right and not something that other people should be voting on, whether you get it or not. In the letter tabled in Parliament, Miss Stinson is calling for more to be done to support working parents. I’ve written to the Speaker asking that there are wide enough car parks to get a baby in and out of the back seat. I’m asking for change tables in all the bathrooms, the Labour MP wrote. It was also difficult to wheel a pram around Parliament, describing the building’s accessibility as poor. I am passionate about the Parliament being more family friendly so we can attract A diverse range of candidates and and future members of Parliament into that building to represent their communities. This building was built for men. When I first came here, there weren’t even women’s toilets on the ground floor. The new lower House Speaker, Leon Bignell says he’ll be looking at other parliaments across the country to identify what could make the workplace more baby friendly. He says that some facilities are already in place, including a parent’s room, but concedes it could still do better. Miss Stinson says she will also write to the Parliament Standing Orders committee as she embarks on solo motherhood. Well, I have chosen to have Quinn by myself and raise him solo. That’s my choice and. I’m loving it so far, but I’m sure there will be challenges and tough times. And you know, you’d be an idiot to think there wouldn’t be a challenging yet rewarding experience.