Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Children are a tremendous blessing, and that's why the grief of a lost baby hits so hard—it really hits hard. I truly learned this while riding with a good friend of mine. Cycling in the mornings, and he opened up to me about his experience of stillbirth. He and his wife lost a child. It took some time before he really got into what that meant for them, but it wasn't until I went into their living room and saw on their wall two little footprints which remind them of their lost child.

Stillbirth is incredibly painful for people. That's why I support the intent of this Fair Work Amendment (Baby Priya’s) Bill 2025 to uphold and preserve employer funded paid parental leave for those who have lost a child in stillbirth or immediately after. I support this bill and its intent to give certainty around employer funded paid parental leave in that event. Families need support during that terrible time after eight to nine months—maybe even less—of anticipated joy at welcoming another life into this world and building a family, the grief is hard to describe in words. Having not felt myself, I can only imagine. My dear friend in Perth helped me understand what that meant for him and his wife.

But I do have a question about the unintended consequences of this bill, and it applies to late-term abortions. This is a place where we can come and express views according to conscience. It's no secret that I am opposed to late-term abortions. So the point of my speaking this morning is to affirm the intent of this bill, which is to give certainty for families suffering through the loss of a child, and I absolutely support the intent of that. I think it's a noble and good thing, and Baby Priya's bill deserves our support for that reason. But I do call upon the government—I note the sensitivity around this—to clarify that it does not apply to late-term abortions. That is the question at the heart of my speech. That is all I have to say on this matter.

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