Parliament and parenthood: MPs juggle work, family life

Every parent returning to work after the birth of a child faces a logistical minefield filled with childcare concerns, flexibility needs, commuting stress, and sometimes having to be away from home.

For state and federal politicians, the need to be available for more than half a year of session weeks and committee meetings further compounds this concern.

Then there are the smaller matters such as election campaign preparations, attending community events and dealing with constituency issues.

For Victorian Animal Justice MP Georgie Purcell and Federal Labor MP Josh Burns, the balance is even more complicated.

In December, they also welcomed baby Lilah, who joined the family alongside eldest daughter Tia, who Mr Burns co-parents with his ex-wife.

The political couple work high-stress jobs as members of parliament and live between two electorates, while also caring for two children and various animals.

Although Lilah’s arrival conveniently comes between the close and reopening of parliament this year, Ms Purcell returned to work last week for the first session of the Victorian parliamentary year.

Mr Burns is taking extended leave to be his newborn’s primary carer, but the whole family traveled to Canberra in January for the introduction of groundbreaking hate speech and gun reforms.

As an MP from a party with a large majority in the lower house, the numbers are not as tight as they should be, allowing her to be unable to vote during parental leave.

Ms Purcell, a lone MP in Victoria’s upper house, does not have the same luxury as the government often relies on crossover candidates to introduce legislation.

“The reality for me and my office is a bit unique because there’s no one else who can do my job,” he told AAP.

Parliamentary staff have made an effort to arrange a room close to Lilah’s office to ensure she is at work, allowing her to stay up late and bring someone to look after her if she needs to work a really long day.

“Just a few terms ago this kind of thing was laughed at,” he says.

“It wasn’t that long ago that women were kicked out of the room for breastfeeding.”

Ms. Purcell recalls first announcing her pregnancy and constantly feeling the need to reassure people that she would continue to work and run for re-election in 2026.

“Unless there’s a story about a male MP taking parental leave, we won’t really have ‘made it’ on gender equality,” she says.

“Family-friendly policies are often written as if they are just for women, when in reality they benefit parents of all genders.”

In 2008, following a long-running campaign to establish a childcare center at parliament house in Canberra, MPs formally approved the establishment of the facility following a proposal from the Rudd government.

But research by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a global organization of national parliaments, found that building gender-sensitive legislatures needs to go beyond providing childcare and respond to the care needs of parents.

He recommends using new technologies that allow for remote working and voting, as well as implementing special parental leave policies to promote equality and a more family-friendly culture.

A supportive staff team, flexible working conditions and the ability to pre-record media interviews allow Mr Burns to continue ticking off a politician’s to-do list while taking parental leave.

Although some measures have made the weeks of the federal session more family-friendly, he says more can be done to ensure lawmakers can take care of their families while doing their jobs.

“As a federal MP from Victoria, the hardest part is being away from your family and I’m still not used to it,” he says.

“People from all walks of life should be able to participate in our democracy and also have a family.”

In 2024, Senator Raff Ciccone became the first father to bring his baby into the room, which surprised him at the time.

“Not all workplaces allow children and that is understandable, but where possible workplaces should accommodate this flexibility within a reasonable environment,” he says.

“For me, it was important to show that if we can do this in the national parliament, then workplaces across the country should take notice.”

Since his first day in Parliament, Senator Ciccone has been bringing his son to Canberra regularly and has installed a cot in his office, along with a number of toys.

She says the presence of children in the building is humanizing and allows her to connect with colleagues across the political aisle.

“I’ve been working in this building for a while as a consultant and now as a senator, and there are more and more people with young children, and so it’s changing the mindset and the culture,” he says.

“No one should be put at a disadvantage in the workplace because they have children or family responsibilities.

“The best way to continue to reduce the gender pay gap is for men to take an active role in childcare, giving women access to work and benefiting the family, society and the economy.”