Mary Henry (Independent)

I support Senator White's comments on the value of breastfeeding. It is very important physically, psychologically, intellectually, etc. It is very sad that the incidence of breastfeeding is so low in this country and worse still that it goes down for mothers lower on the socio-economic scale. A child in social class one is much more likely to be breastfed than a child in social class five.

I take the Senator's point that it is more difficult for women to work and breastfeed. We must remember that in most of the world women do most of the agricultural work and breastfeed babies at the same time. The baby on the back who is being breastfed is the lucky one rather than the one who is a year older and has to be left at home and is getting goodness knows what from a dirty bottle. While I fully support her sentiments, we must recognise that many women have to work and breastfeed. It is more difficult in industry, schools or hospitals than it is in a country where women work in agriculture. However, it is a very big improvement to have employers play their part in encouraging breastfeeding, which has been a real problem here.

Refugees soon realise that breasts in the western world are considered sexual attributes rather than organs of nutrition. Frequently, they feel that it is not socially desirable to breastfeed and rather than being a good example to us, they stop doing it also.