‘She could be your Jacinda Ardern’: Bec’s back at work
As Bec White returns as leader of the Labor party today with her seven-week-old son in tow, she talks about everything from party priorities and strengthening her team to breastfeeding at work and those New Zealand PM comparisons.
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REBECCA White understands why some people think she is crazy to take on the Labor leadership again.
But the birth of her second child has made her more determined to win government for Labor after three election losses.
Ms White, 38, will return to work today with seven-week-old son Hudson by her side.
“I reckon there probably were some people who thought it was a good opportunity for me not to take on the leadership, to enjoy being a mother and to continue my work in the electorate and support the PLP,” she said.
“But having Hudson has helped reinforce why I want to be a member of parliament.
“The reasons why I stood initially were to help improve my community.
“But for me now, particularly with two little children, I think about what does their future look like and how can we make it better?
“We owe it to them to make sure we make good decisions now that help them have a better future than what we are living.
“I feel re-energised.
“Having that break, was actually really beneficial for me personally, even though it’s been a really challenging time for the party.”
Ms White is focused on the future and what it holds for all Tasmanian children.
“Are they going to be able to even afford to buy a house? Are they getting a good enough education right now? What’s happening in our child safety system? Are we doing everything we can to protect vulnerable children?” she said.
Former federal Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek believes politics needs more leaders such as Ms White.
“I’ve never seen anyone more approachable, sincere and empathetic on the campaign trail,” Ms Plibersek said.
“What you see is what you get. Bec is strong, and she’s smart, she’s hardworking. She’s got phenomenal grit and determination.
“She could be your Jacinda Ardern.”
Friends outside politics agree, saying Ms White is one of the most capable, diligent, conscientious and humble people they know.
“She has razor-sharp intellect and deeply held set of values around family, fairness and equality,” one said.
Ms White baulks at parallels with Ms Ardern, the New Zealand PM who returned to work with a baby.
“She’s wonderful and somebody who I find incredibly inspiring, but we can do our own brand of politics here in Tasmania, and there are plenty of women who are returning to work with small children,” she said.
“I’m lucky that I can take my baby with me. I know that’s not the case for lots of other parents.”
She has loved being at home with Hudson, four-year-old daughter Mia and husband Rodney Dunn.
“It’s been nice to have a winter baby to be able to have a snuggle by the fire, and not have to worry about heading outdoors,” Ms White said.
“He’s been a beautiful little bubba, so it’s made it so much nicer.”
She said she was not fazed by the challenges ahead. “I think like every working mum, you just make it work, you find a way,” she said.
“Hudson will be coming with me to work a lot.
“I think he’s too little at the moment for me to feel comfortable to leave him in the care of somebody else and I am breastfeeding, and I want to continue to be able to do that. I’m also really lucky that he’s a very placid, happy baby.”
Ms White believes more needs to be done to provide affordable child care.
As she prepares to take over the reins of Tasmanian Labor, she will focus on housing, health, education and climate change and trying to get Tasmanians to take Labor seriously.
“We need to listen to people, we need to talk about their day-to-day concerns, the things that matter to families every single day,” she said.
As the party awaits the findings of investigations into the behaviour of David O’Byrne
and party president Ben McGregor, she does not believe there is a need for federal intervention, and said Labor’s review into the election would guide change to the party’s rules and governance.
“I think fundamentally, we know what we need to do,” she said. “We’ve got good people (in the PLP) who’ve got good skill sets, they’re driven and ambitious, and we should be taking full advantage of that.”
She rejects criticism of the ALP’s dominant Left faction and said factions were a fact of life for all political parties.
“It’s how you use that power that’s important,” she said.
“The challenge for the Labor Party now is to make sure that it’s respectful of the diversity of views in the membership and across the party so that we can be strongly united and to always remember that the enemy isn’t within.
“Our responsibility is actually to present a united front that can be a good government for Tasmania.”
Ms White denies she is a stopgap leader warming the seat for newcomer and Franklin MHA Dean Winter.
“I’m not sure if he has ambitions to be the leader,” she said.
“Right now that’s my responsibility and I’ll make sure that I do the best job I possibly can.
“But I’m not going to tread on other people to squash them and limit their ambition or growth potential because we need everybody to shine.”
White re-energised for parliament return
LABOR leader Rebecca White says she is re-energised, ready to rebuild her shattered party and remain leader for the long haul.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Tasmanian, on the eve of her return to work after taking maternity leave for the birth of her second child, Ms White said the period since the May 1 election had been “a bit of a roller coaster”.
After stepping down two weeks after the May election, she said she did not expect to return to the leadership after David O’Byrne stood aside after sexual harassment allegations dating back 14 years were made against him.
“For me coming back into the leadership, I actually feel like the break that I had was probably the break I needed to have a reset and to feel motivated and energised again,” Ms White said.
“I’m incredibly grateful and still very passionate about what we need to do to support Tasmanians [to] have a better life.
“But it’s been a pretty tricky time and I’m very thankful for the work that Anita Dow has done as acting leader, because it’s required her to give a lot more than what she ever expected.”
Ms White concedes if Labor in Tasmania does not reform it will not win the next election.
“Labor needs to rebuild trust with the community and with our membership,” she said.
“I think, unfortunately, the events of the last few months have really rattled a lot of people and made them question their loyalty to Labor and we need to do so much better.”
Ms White also admits she has to rebuild morale in the Parliamentary Labor Party.
“There’s no doubt that it’s taken a bit of a hit, both with the loss of the election and the events that have happened since then,” she said.
“But I’m really confident that we can rebuild, and I’ve got the full support of the caucus to be able to work with them to do that.”
Refreshed, buoyant and upbeat, Ms White expects to take Labor to the next election, which is due in just under four years.
“It’s my intention to be the leader at the next election,” she said.
“But we need to start making some significant changes in the party to ensure that we’ve not only got a strong parliamentary team, but that we are building a robust and dynamic party that is connected with Tasmanians, because if we fail to do that, then we won’t win the next election.”
She would not be drawn on whether Mr O’Byrne should leave parliament but said Tasmanians expected MPs to “uphold values of fairness, good workplace culture, respect”.
“Any time those values are challenged, that’s a problem,” Ms White said.
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