Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

An incredible team of more than 400 breastfeeding volunteer counsellors staff the National Breastfeeding Helpline 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Trained counsellors operate on a roster, answering some 6,000 calls in their own homes every month.

Last week I met with a number of women at my Mayfield and Stockton community offices who told me about the difference the helpline made for their lives. One mother told me she called the helpline at 11pm when she realised that she had early symptoms of Mastitis—a condition she had been previously hospitalised for. Rather than having to seek emergency health assistance in the middle of the night, she was able to get the support and guidance she needed from the breastfeeding helpline. I also met with volunteer counsellors, who highlighted the role of the helpline as an essential support base for rural and regional women, many of whom are often isolated with very few other avenues of support available. I thank Shellie, Jasmine, Sarah, Susanna, Michelle, Lauren and Aimee for their sharing their stories with me.

The service's future was in immediate danger when I met with these women. Thankfully it has been thrown a funding lifeline but it is only good for 12 months so perhaps it is more a stay of execution. The Breastfeeding Helpline is an invaluable service for tens of thousands of Australian mums, run at extremely modest cost to taxpayers due to the fantastic work of the hundreds of volunteer counsellors. They need security beyond 12 months, and I urge to government to guarantee long-term funding to provide certainty for this vital service for Australian mums.