Keeping children's interests at the heart of family policy debates

If we want to give children the best possible start in life we know the early months and years are absolutely vital for social, cognitive and physical development. It's about what's in the best interests of children.

Women who continue to work after having a baby mostly do so because they need the income. We need to give new mothers some breathing space to bond with their baby, to give them a nurturing environment, to establish breast-feeding if they can and to learn how to care for their babies. All so that little babies will get a better start to life.

That's not to say that full-time mums don't need support too. They do. And this Government is committed to supporting all mothers, whether they are in a paid job or at home. We value the hard work of all mothers regardless of whether they are in paid work. That's why we provide support through a range of measures including the Baby Bonus, Family Tax Benefits A and B, the Child Care Benefit and the Child Care Rebate.

Each baby leaves their own ecological footprint before they've even learnt how to walk.

Approximately 260,000 babies are born in Australia each year and most of these use some form of nappy for the first 2-4 years of their lives. All nappies have an environmental impact so each baby leaves their own ecological footprint before they've even learnt how to walk. The good news is that parents no longer have to choose between just terry cloth nappies and synthetic disposables.  There are so many options available today that it's now much easier for parents to make a greener choice.   

The nappy choice a parent makes will be determined by their baby's needs, their own lifestyle, budget and personal preference.  Many parents use a combination of cloth and disposable nappies and even move from one solution to another as baby grows.  Whatever you decide to use has to work for you. 

By Jody Melbourne

Give your kids freedom on the Internet rather than impose authority or try to limit them.

The "command and control" approach to keeping children safe from online Cyberbullying is doomed to fail in this age of social networking. Parents need to adopt a high-vigilance, low-touch approach when supporting their children to survive the epidemic of Cyberbullying that is sweeping Australia and many other countries. Last year, South Australian police revealed they were receiving reports of Cyberbullying on an almost daily basis.

"Cyberbullying" is a term coined to describe the age-old practice of schoolyard bullying extended online, using technology as a tool to harass an individual. Examples of Cyberbullying include spreading nasty rumours by email or online postings; publishing online or emailing embarrassing photos or videos; making abusive comments online; and even threatening or intimidating someone online.

Paid maternity leave misses the point! 

Paid maternity leave is an important question but we're still missing the point when it comes to raising kids in this country.

It takes TWO parents, extended family and a safe welcoming community to raise kids, not one woman with superhuman strength, a scandalous earning capacity and a 38 hour day.

By focusing on women and maternity leave not only do you alienate all the Dads out there, but you also place too much emphasis on the role of the mother, again raising expectations beyond what's actually possible.

What we need to look at, and look at realistically is paid parental leave, and providing Dads, as well as Mums, with more support in carrying out the most important job they'll ever take on.

To be honest I'm surprised anyone actually shoulders the risk of becoming a Dad in Australia today.