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Larissa Waters Breastfeeding in Australia Parliament Is History

Larissa Waters Breastfeeding in Australia Parliament Is History
Larissa Waters breastfeeds her daughter Alia on the floor of the Australian parliament. (Twitter/@larissawaters)

By    |   Wednesday, 10 May 2017 09:46 AM EDT

Australian Senator Larissa Waters became the first woman to breastfeed in the federal Parliament on Tuesday.

Waters gave birth to her second daughter, Alia Joy, just weeks ago, but in her first appearance back on the Senate floor Tuesday, she made history as the first woman to breastfeed in the chamber, according to PerthNow.

Waters took to Twitter to share the news with her followers.

This comes a year after Waters helped push to extend breastfeeding rules in the Senate to include caring for an infant, according to The Courier Mail.

Breastfeeding has been allowed in the chamber since 2003, but Waters is the first to do so.

"If she’s hungry, that’s what you do, you feed your baby," Waters said, according to The Courier Mail.

In 2009, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young’s 2-year-old daughter, Kora, didn’t receive the same welcome.

At the time, Hanson-Young was not able to find a babysitter, so she brought the baby with her to work, The Independent noted.

Kora was reportedly playing "quietly" when Senate president John Hogg ordered the baby to be rejected from the chamber.

"We can’t allow children to be in here for a division," Hogg said, at the time, according to The Independent.

Waters disagrees.

"It is important we make all workplaces more family friendly, not just parliament," Waters said, according to The Courier Mail.

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TheWire
Australian Senator Larissa Waters became the first woman to breastfeed in the federal Parliament on Tuesday.
larissa waters, breastfeeding, australian, parliament
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2017-46-10
Wednesday, 10 May 2017 09:46 AM
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