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| Hospitality Magazine column Breastfeeding – let’s keep choices Steve Chadwick has used the opportunity of World Breast Feeding Week to announce that she has developed a Private Members Bill which would allow any women who were excluded from a public place, including licensed premises, for breastfeeding having the opportunity to take the matter to the Human Rights Commission. This legislation is simply unnecessary. There are very few occasions when women breastfeeding in public cause offence or are indeed asked to do it somewhere else. For the most part women in licensed premises breastfeeding do it discreetly and it does not cause any problems, difficulties or offence. It is very doubtful that a woman wishing to breastfeed cannot find somewhere to do this – somewhere appropriate to all. On the other hand, licensed premises largely remain an adult environment and while many are family friendly there are some where it simply would not be appropriate to have young children present, even under the obvious supervision of the mother. In those rare circumstances the licensee should maintain the right to determine just who is on licensed premises, after all it is their licensed premises, they have all the responsibility and must surely also retain some rights. Steve Chadwick’s Bill is more social engineering and another example of the rights of business operators being watered down and removed in the name of political correctness. Legislation should always be a last resort in balancing the rights of New Zealanders. This legislation is simply not needed, it’s not necessary and with luck will not even emerge from the Private Members ballot. It would be nice for a change to see a Member of Parliament introducing legislation which might help business rather than hinder it. Bruce H Robertson
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