This article appeared in my local paper today. What a disaster for the  
women and children of Western Australia. I'm disgusted in this man -  
he needs to educate himself.

<http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuId=77&ContentID=136276>

~~~
Premier Colin Barnett has ruled out introducing breastfeeding laws,  
saying women and business owners needed to find some “common sense” on  
the issue.
His declaration comes after Bedford woman Mandy Crabtree was told to  
leave a restaurant in one of Perth’s premier hotels to breastfeed her  
seven-month-old son Taj.

Premier Colin Barnett told 6PR's morning show this morning he believed  
more common sense and courtesy was needed on the issue, rather than  
passing more laws through Parliament.

Equal Opportunity Commission acting commissioner Allan Macdonald said  
yesterday the Equal Opportunity Act needed to be amended because it  
created doubt over the legal right of mothers to breastfeed in public.

He said all the other States and Territories had legislated to protect  
a woman’s right to breastfeed, with South Australia in the process of  
making the change.

But Mr Barnett said breastfeeding laws were not needed in WA and his  
government wanted to see less regulation, not more.

“That’s an issue where, hopefully, if mothers are breast-feeding their  
babies... in public venues that they are discreet in the way that they  
go about it and modest in their behaviour,” Mr Barnett said. “Equally,  
the operators of establishments need to recognise and respect the  
right of the mother to feed its baby.

“Now I think the hotel made a mistake on the sound of it, but equally  
to parents with babies, I mean, you should be able to go out and still  
have a normal life with a child, but just (have) a bit of discretion,  
a bit of privacy, a bit of common sense on all sides.”

Ms Crabtree said staff at the Hyatt Regency Perth gave no explanation  
why she could not feed her son in the nearly empty buffet restaurant  
on Sunday night and she intended to lodge a complaint against the hotel.

“It’s really discrimination to be told you have to leave to feed your  
own son,” Ms Crabtree said. “I was shocked. I didn’t know what to do.  
I was really hurt by it.”

A spokesman for the Hyatt said it had no policy against breastfeeding  
and blamed the incident on inexperienced staff.

~~~

Lara Hopkins

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