STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Ms KARA COOK (Bonner) (13:51): Last week was World Breastfeeding Week. I recognise an important milestone for Australian families: more than 50,000 families accessed the National Breastfeeding Helpline last year for advice, for support and for reassurance. I personally have breastfed all three of my children, and I know that breastfeeding can be a beautiful thing to be able to do but it can also be incredibly hard.

There are sleepless nights, there are concerns about milk supply, there is positioning and there is simply wondering what to do when things aren't going to plan. Sometimes, in those moments, you need more than reassurance; you need practical, trusted advice from someone who understands what you are going through. That is exactly what the National Breastfeeding Helpline is.

It's free, it's confidential and it's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Since 2008, the helpline has received more than 1.2 million calls. The Albanese Labor government announced last week that it is investing a further $8.9 million to ensure that that support remains available.

Supporting women is not about telling women what choices to make; it's about making sure that women have the information, the support and the freedom to make those choices for themselves. That is what empowering women looks like, and that is exactly what this Albanese Labor government is delivering.