I came across the full details of the Hanson-Young “child at work affair” in The Age today and just couldn’t help myself when it came to opinion
on this issue…
Firstly I have to declare that, other than our two dogs, my wife and I do not have kids…however we have many friends that do and Polly is godmother to two…
All of our friends have three options when it comes to their kids – stay at home, school them or send them to childcare. Very few – if any – can take them to their place of work, and furthermore I think very few would consider this fair on their work colleagues.
BTW – This is not an attck on Sarah Hanson-Young, Bob Brown or the Greens (Despite what looks like a stunt orchestrated by the Greens) - it’s an example of how Australian politicians have again demonstrated how out of touch they are with the real world.
I don’t disagree that we should always be challenging how families better manager work-life balance and how we can better care for our children when we have no choice but to work, especially when our work lives imposes on our home lives so much – but the rules are the rules and children are not allow to be brought into the senate just as they are not allow to be in the work place in many enviroments – and nor should they because people are working. You have the respect their rights as well regardless of whether you have a child or not.
I am sure if she had the child in her office (a privilege many Australia’s don’t get) there would be no issues – but as a member of this countries legislators (i.e.the government) she must understand the importance of operating by the rules as well as how to go about changing them. Pulling a stunt by bringing your child into the senate is no way to do it.
Furthermore, and not telling her how to be a mother, but Hanson-Young must realise that she put her child in a postion that it does not have any comprehension of. She has an understanding of the rules and knows why the child was ejected – but by bringing the child into her “workplace” against clearly defined rules she put the child in a postion where it did not understand why it must be removed from its mother and of course become upset and distressed.
It’s just wrong…
