Western Sydney University apologises after asking mum to buy newborn ticket to graduation ceremony

Western Sydney University is under pressure from breastfeeding advocates to overhaul its graduation ceremonies, after a young mother was told that her three-month-old needed a ticket.

Western Sydney University is under pressure from breastfeeding advocates to overhaul its graduation ceremonies and has been forced to apologise after a young mother was told that her three-month-old baby needed a ticket to see his mum graduate.

The Australian Breastfeeding Association slammed the “unnecessary barrier” which sees WSU’s graduating parents told that all children, including newborns too young to sit up by themselves, are included in the maximum four guests per student.

ABA Breastfeeding Friendly Environments manager Emily Carrolan said the policy fell into a “grey area” of anti-discrimination law, but showed that universities had “more work to do” to be inclusive and welcoming places for breastfeeding mums.

“They have these ticketing systems in place to manage venue capacity and ensure safety, but while we understand the reasoning behind these policies, we do strongly advocate for inclusion of not just breastfeeding-friendly, but family-friendly considerations,” she said.

“It’s important that mums with newborns are able to attend these special milestones in their lives, like graduation, without having these unnecessary barriers in place.”

Breastfeeding advocates have criticised WSU for initially failing to provide an inclusive environment for a student mum. File picture: iStock

Following the mum’s repeated pleas to the university — and backlash on social media — the newborn was given a ticket, however Western Sydney University’s graduation event site explicitly states “no extra tickets will be granted”.

“We understand what an important milestone Graduation is for families. Babies and children are welcome to attend your ceremony but will require a ticket,” the site reads.

WSU is one of the only NSW universities that considers babies to be ticketed guests at graduation ceremonies. File picture: Supplied

Other universities — including the University of Sydney, UTS, UNSW, the University of Newcastle and the University of Wollongong — do not share this requirement and allow babies and very young children to sit on an adult’s lap, however most restrict graduates to two or three guests.

In a statement, a Western Sydney University spokeswoman cited “fire and safety obligations” for the four-guest cap, and said the university would “review” how it managed ceremony tickets, with “all options” on the table.

“Western Sydney University is sorry for the confusion and upset caused to our graduating student and family about the ticket allocation for their upcoming graduation ceremony,” she said.

Western Sydney University’s South Parramatta campus.

“We take every reasonable step to accommodate our students and their families and make provisions for additional guests wherever we can … and will take this opportunity to review our processes moving forward.

“We are pleased that we have been able to resolve this situation and have provided our graduating student with an additional family ticket for the ceremony.

“Again, we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience or distress and wish all our students the very best for their upcoming graduation.”

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Originally published as Western Sydney University apologises after asking mum to buy newborn ticket to graduation ceremony