Australian Senator Larissa Waters Not Shy To Breastfeed Baby Again, While Addressing Parliament

Larissa Waters, an Australian senator who made history earlier this year in May when she brought her second daughter to the federal parliament and breastfed her, did it once again on Wednesday, making headlines this time by feeding her 14-week-old baby, Alia Joy while moving a motion on black lung disease in the chamber.

The Greens senator came into the spotlight earlier on budget day in May when she became the first federal politician to breastfeed in parliament.

Waters told Buzzfeed News she was obliged to breastfeed while moving the motion because, "black lung disease is back among coal miners in Queensland and Alia was hungry." Waters continued to breastfeed her daughter, standing as she moved the motion, along with a spit rag on her shoulder, while her colleagues looked on.

The senator also said she hoped her decision in the chamber Wednesday sent a strong message to other young women and female politicians, that they too belong in powerful positions and places, including the parliament.

"Women have always worked and reared children, whether that work was paid in the workplace or unpaid in the home. I hope [this] helps to normalize breastfeeding and remove any vestige of stigma against breastfeeding a baby when they are hungry," Waters said.

She also spoke about how women had to fight for this right and how the public first reacted to her in May when she decided to breastfeed in parliament. At the time, she told Buzzfeed News of her "mixed feelings" about the reactions.

"The fact that it is news that a young woman... can breastfeed in parliament, goes to show how far we have to go in making our parliament look like our community," she had said.

"It's been 116 years in the coming, and it's tragic that it's taken that long," Waters added at that time.

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In May, her decision was applauded by fellow politician Katy Gallagher. "Women have been doing it in parliaments around the world... It is great to see it is able to occur now in the Senate," Gallagher told Sky News.

"Women are going to continue to have babies and if they want to do their job and be at work and look after their baby... the reality is we are going to have to accommodate that," she added.

After the speech at the chamber on Wednesday, Waters posted a tweet saying she wasn’t the only one in parliament moving a motion on the day.

The Australian parliament changed its rules in 2016 to allow female politicians to breastfeed their children in the chamber, as a part of making it a "family friendly" parliament.

The Australian House of Representatives also made similar changes, and the milestone came after senator Waters pushed for the changes to senate rules last year.

Read: Breastfeeding Linked To Immune System Development, Reduced Risk Of Allergies In New Studies

The rules which were announced in February 2016 by Leader of the House, Christopher Pyne, stated that both women and men would be permitted to bring their children into the parliament if they were the ones responsible for the child’s care.

"No member, male or female, will ever be prevented from participating fully in the operation of the Parliament by reason of having the care of a baby," Pyne had said.