Stanford EricaERICA STANFORD (National—East Coast Bays): Thank you Madam Speaker. I'm very pleased to rise to take a call on the Holidays (Bereavement Leave for Miscarriage) Amendment Bill (No 2). Firstly I just want to say some words about Ginny Andersen not just Congratulations for having your bill drawn."—but congratulations!—but also the way that she has conducted herself during all of the speeches and also the select committee. And especially today her speech was eloquent it was passionate it was poignant it was emotional and I think it showed the strength of her convictions in this area. Well done my friend.I think over lockdown when we saw stories of women who were having to go through what were pretty harrowing circumstances having a miscarriage on their own it gave those of us who haven't experienced a miscarriage an insight into just how traumatic and difficult that process can be and we heard some of those partners of the women who were going through that speak on the news and how distraught they were. I think that highlighted just how difficult the process is. At present in the Holidays Act 2003 one is entitled to bereavement leave for the death of a child or a family member but not explicitly for a miscarriage or a stillbirth. And currently the Act is very ambiguous with employers left to decide whether or not a miscarriage or a stillbirth constitutes a bereavement. It's always been very unclear and this bill tidies that up very nicely. With approximately one in four women experiencing a miscarriage it's really important that we clarify this.I wasn't on the Education and Workforce Committee for the whole process. I came in at the very end so I missed the submissions but I did read some of them and I've heard how harrowing they were. The changes that were made from those submissions were very good ones and they've been traversed before. Not requiring a mother to know she was pregnant—the grief that is experienced is the same whether or not you knew you were pregnant. The definition of "miscarriage" being no matter how far along you are—again that change was a really important one and I mentioned in my second reading speech on this bill about the people who are going through fertility treatment and experiencing those loss of pregnancies very very early on. It's really important that they are captured in this bill and indeed they are. The fact that no proof is required to employers was also a good change and the definition of who can take leave being expanded was a very good one. The grief is the same whether or not you are a surrogate parent going through a surrogacy or again adopting.One of the things that was made explicit in the bill was around abortion whether or not that would be included and in the end it wasn't. I'm not sure of the intentions of Ginny Andersen around this and I want to speak just from a personal perspective; this is just my personal opinion. The grief and anguish and trauma experienced during an abortion and the fact that it's not included in this bill make me uncomfortable—personally uncomfortable. I just wanted to put that on the record. I'm not sure whether or not it was the intention of this bill to include it or not but I do note that it was expressly left out. Again I feel uncomfortable with that but maybe it's something we will revisit in the future.Again can I extend my congratulations to Ginny. This is a fantastic bill. It will make a difference to so many women out there. Congratulations well done and we commend this bill to the House."