Susan Templeman (Macquarie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have a daughter with a birthday this week and I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that she's turning 30 and not 13! That's because it's the mums and dads stuck at home, occupying under fives or supervising schoolwork—many juggling their own work—or those who are essential workers having to make other arrangements for kids that my heart goes out to.

I've spent a lot of the last six weeks speaking with people about how they're doing. After the initial, 'We're okay,' it doesn't take long to get to the heart of the matter, which is that it's hard. There's the surge in mums' voices about distracting the preschooler long enough so her older sister can do her videoconference in peace; or that three of the four kids are able to knuckle down but one is really struggling; or that one boy is completely disconnected from friends and feeling very low. And that's without any extra load of learning difficulties or disabilities. It's not factoring in the teachers with their own kids on top of their classes. And let's not forget the new parents who are spending the first months of their babies' lives disconnected from all the support that I took for granted—no playgroup, no other mums to commiserate or celebrate with and no grandparents to change a nappy. It's a lonely time for many. They're in long vaccine queues but they're rising to the challenge. As a mum, I know you're doing all you can to get your kids through this. You need to know that it's enough.

My advice to everybody is to reach out to a mum; that phone call could make all the difference. (Time expired)