“I am determined to raise both of my daughters proud of their Jewish heritage and proud to express it openly, and safely, in Australia.”
Purcell said Lilah was as impatient as her mother, born at 37 weeks and five days, but came at a time when their family desperately needed her.
Federal MP Josh Burns has welcomed his first child with partner Georgie Purcell, a Victorian MP.Credit: Facebook/ Josh Burns
“Becoming a mum was never part of my plan but in just a few short days she has shown me that I simply couldn’t imagine a life without her,” she said.
“Lilah is my daily reminder that the decisions we make now will echo for generations.”
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In a Facebook post on Monday evening, Burns said Purcell was a “superhero”.
“Straight after her body went through major surgery, she’s stepped right into being such a loving and attentive mum,” he said.
“Children are not born with hate. My daughters will be raised in a home with love, safety and kindness.”
Burns is the MP for Macnamara, the area of inner south-east Melbourne with a large Jewish community.
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His office has been frequently targeted by vandals in the years since the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing Israeli military action in Gaza, which some international agencies have referred to as a genocide.
Purcell said Lilah was as impatient as her mother, born at 37 weeks and five days, but came at a time when their family desperately needed her.
Prior to the arrival of Lilah, Purcell spoke on the floor of parliament about her experiences being sexually harassed as a political staffer and politician on Spring Street.
Purcell is not the first Victorian MP to give birth while in office.
Among this club is Ellen Sandell, the current Greens leader in Victoria. In 2018, Sandell became the first woman to breastfeed in parliament since Kirstie Marshall in 2003.
Marshall was famously ejected from parliament for breastfeeding her 11-day-old daughter during a session.
Burns has another daughter, Tia, from a previous marriage.
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