Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I was visited by Silje Andersen-Cooke, from the Australian Multiple Birth Association, and her adorable 18-month-old triplets Teddy, Eric and Ada. Silje's triplets are very active, so she brought them around to the office in a trolley, which is the pram version of a people-mover. In many ways, little has changed since my triplets were born 23 years ago. Multiples are often a high-risk pregnancy, so Mum is often on maternity leave weeks earlier than planned, and that comes at a cost to family finances. The additional cost doesn't stop there. You need two, three or more of everything at the same time and sometimes specialised equipment as well. There are no hand-me-downs with multiples. Prams for triplets and more are expensive and hard to come by. I also needed three cribs, cots, high chairs, capsules, car seats et cetera. Silje and I both had to change cars to fit three baby seats in along with other, older children. Thank goodness for cheaper child care coming in 10 days time. The Multiple Birth Association has produced a report on the comparative cost of multiples and looked at some of the approaches offered overseas to help families. It's available on their website and it's a really interesting read. I'd commend anyone to have a look at it.

Multiple births are an absolutely joyous thing. It's an exciting time in the life of a family—perhaps a little unexpected—but families do need support. If you know somebody with a multiple pregnancy, please reach out and offer your help.