Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

No, she does not have any young children now, but she would have been one of those people who would have benefited back then. Tanya Plibersek is another one, and I know Joe Hockey is another. I know there are a number of politicians from both sides. But it is not about the politicians in this place. It is about the other people who support the life of this parliament 24/7 and who need the support of this childcare centre, as I said, so they can put their young children there and continue to breastfeed. I also want to place on record your support, Senator Natasha Stott Despoja, in this campaign. It has been a bipartisan campaign, and I am so pleased to be able to say that we have reached the end of it.

However, I do want to give one final warning and fire this shot across the bow. We have got 22 places. The centre is for children under the age of 18 months. So now we look forward to the next campaign, which is to finally extend that to a 75- or 95-place centre very close to Parliament House. As I said, it cannot be built inside, but it will have to be around National Circle or State Circle. I reckon there is plenty of land out there in the bush to build a purpose-built childcare centre so that, if people cannot get access to their child inside the building, it is less than a couple of minutes walk away. That is the next phase of our campaign, and I look forward to starting that. I congratulate everyone who has been involved in getting this to this stage and, as I have always said, I look forward to cutting the ribbon on the first cot that is placed in that childcare centre early next year.