NSW Parliament removes the words ‘mother’ and ‘woman’ from breastfeeding policy in favour of gender-neutral language

NSW Parliament has removed “mother” and “woman” from its updated breastfeeding policy, using terms such as “parents”, “carers” and “lactating parents” instead. The policy aims to make the workplace family-friendly and support staff who breastfeed, while recognising the importance of breastfeeding for parent and child.

NSW Liberal leader Kellie Sloane criticised the wording in a social media video, arguing that the policy should acknowledge that women breastfeed. She said she supports parents sharing childcare at work, but questioned why the policy uses gender-neutral language for breastfeeding.