There has been very little sympathy for the Greens Senator from South Australia, who committed the sin of allowing her infant daughter into the Senate Chamber during a vote and who was ordered to remove said child by the Chamber President. The resulting critique of her actions has centred around three propositions:
1) That this was a stunt organised by a political party ‘known’ for its stunts, a grab for publicity that has detracted from the ‘real’ business of running the country (see http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/19/2602777.htm?section=justin)
2) That Senator Hanson-Young is paid to be a Senator and should observe the responsibilities associated with that by turning up to vote as and when required, in a professional manner that excludes being accompanied by a child (http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25665273-5000117,00.html)
3) That politicians have no right to luxuries not afforded the rest of us, ie the ability to bring children into the workplace when they wish to (see comments on the ABC news website and the Melbourne Herald Sun website among others)
One first issue, I have to say I admire and support the Greens wholeheartedly, especially their propensity for what are called ‘stunts’. This is because the Greens are the only party in Parliament who have the imagination to see past the usual rigmarole of what passes for standard political discourse in this country. Without their activists coming up with great demonstrations, banners, costumes, and slogans, we would not have had nearly as much fun debating the merits of the war in Iraq, deforestation, increased uranium mining, or even the GST, if you can remember that far back. The Greens are thinking outside the square, and yes, sometimes they do do outrageous things to get our attention. I applaud that. No one else has the courage to say what they say, especially about war and the environment, and it is such a relief not to be oppressed by grey suits, sensible hair or unthinking conformity.
On the second issue, I think that condemning Senator Hanson-Young’s professionalism reflects the masculine bias that has weighed Parliament down for centuries. The notion that ‘professional’ is antithetical to ‘family’ is an ancient idea, and reflects the notion of ‘separate spheres’, where the public sphere is associated with work and business, and the private is associated with family and emotion. Not coincidentally, the public sphere is most often coded as masculine, and the private sphere is most often coded as feminine, despite the strong challenges made by feminism over the last hundred years and more. For women who work in the public sphere, the question of what to ‘do’ with their children has been much more fraught than it has been for men, who have more often had access to partners and family who look after children for them. Childcare in this country is woefully inadequate (though I do not deny that Parliament itself has childcare provisions).To me there is no sense in maintaining the ideology of separate spheres. We need to work out a way for every individual to have a good balance between the different aspects of their lives. For now, women are struggling to be working mothers, and need support. Without it, Senators like Hanson Young, at 26 a very young woman, will be excluded from a governing body that is nominally meant to represent all Australians. The Senate should not be only institution to change its attitude to children, but it should be among many to do so, so that women and men can fulfil their roles as parents and professionals as and how they see fit.
Which leads me to my final point. When challenged, many commentators on this issue have fallen back on the point that politicians should not be given privileges. If doctors, teachers, or nurses cannot take their children to work, so the argument goes, why should politicians be allowed to? This is a red herring. I would argue that Senator Hanson-Young and the Greens were not arguing for special privileges in the Chamber; in fact, they argued that the incident highlighted the need for more family-friendly workplaces across the country.
Which in turn leads me back to the first point, that about this being a ‘stunt’. I am not convinced that this incident was planned – Senator Hanson-Young only took her daughter in to the Chamber after a short-notice call was put out to Senators that they were required for a vote – but I am sure as hell supportive of the Greens using this incident to question Australian attitudes around work and family. I think we have a long, long way to go before families and work are better integrated, but that a struggle to do so will only benefit the country. The Senate should relax its rules around children in the chamber, and employers across the country should think about how best to integrate childcare into their structures.
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