A regional Queensland cafe owner praised for her response to a breastfeeding incident said she was only doing what was right and it was time more people stood up to defend the right of women to breastfeed in public.
Jessica-Anne Allen asked a customer to leave Cheese and Biscuits, the cafe she runs with her husband Stephen in Rockhampton, after he asked a customer breastfeeding her infant to "cover up".
Ms Allen said "a middle aged gentleman" returned to the counter after ordering a coffee on Wednesday to "inform us there was a mother breastfeeding out there and we might want to ask her to cover up".
"We told him that we are a breastfeeding friendly cafe, that we have mothers' groups and ladies who come and breastfeed all the time and we would never ask a mother to cover up when she is feeding her child," she said.
"We also told him there were plenty of seats inside, away from the woman and her friends, if he wanted and he seemed fine, and as far as I was concerned that was the end of it."
But when she went outside to deliver the coffee, she saw the mother was upset.
"When I put his coffee down, he mentioned that he said something to her and that the next time I should probably ask her to cover up," Ms Allen said.
"So I informed him I would rather ask him to leave, and I took his coffee and put it in a take away container and asked him to leave."
The 29-year-old said she was shocked that "in this day and age" women were being asked to hide breastfeeding and she was concerned that the new mother would feel embarrassed or shamed by the experience.
"I was afraid that she would feel like she had to cover up from now on," she said of the woman who has asked to remain anonymous.
"And quite frankly, that is not good enough. It should never have been an issue in the first place because it is a form of adult bullying and is actually against the law to approach a breastfeeding mother and ask her to stop or cover up.
"I have a sister who has a three month old and I would hate to think that something like that was said to her."
Ms Allen said she and her husband believed that more businesses should "absolutely" be standing up for the rights of women in their establishment. She published a Facebook post reiterating her business's stance on breastfeeding and said she was surprised by how many women responded
"We don't have children, so we were really shocked by how common it was that people were being asked to cover up while breast feeding," she said.
"And I just think it is completely and utterly wrong, because it is a bonding moment for mother and child and sight is a big part of that and to cover the child up so they can't see mum, would take away from that.
"We didn't do anything great; we just did what was morally right."
Queensland's Minister for Women, Shannon Fentiman agreed and applauded Ms Allen.
"No Mum should be made to feel uncomfortable for doing the most natural thing in the world," Ms Fentiman said.
"I think most people would agree with this, but it is important to challenge discrimination if it occurs and make sure people understand that mothers have a legal right to breastfeed wherever they like."
