“I want to make sure that we’re giving women an opportunity to share their stories, to have their voices heard, and then that we’re able to use their advocacy to drive some change in this area.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The proposed inquiry, which is expected to be put to a vote on Tuesday would operate for 12 months and travel around Australia to hear from women in cities and regional areas.<\/p>\n
‘Devastating’ post-birth experience<\/p>\n
Senator Smith was elected in 2019 when her now eight-year-old son Benjamin was just an infant. She later welcomed her daughter Zara, 5, while a member of parliament.<\/p>\n
It is the experience in the weeks after Benjamin’s birth that has driven a passion for postpartum health care amid fears Australian women are currently “suffering in silence”.<\/p>\n
“I was really lucky in that I absolutely loved giving birth,” Senator Smith said.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/e78d5fe69da37eeec780d42e29b21572.jpeg\")
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Marielle Smith was elected when her son was just an infant. (Supplied: Marielle Smith)<\/p>\n
“I had an amazing experience, I felt like a warrior.<\/p>\n
“It was what happened in the days after that, which was devastating for me.”<\/p>\n
Senator Smith said she had “huge” difficulty attempting to breastfeed, due to constant and recurring mastitis, injury and latching problems.<\/p>\n
“It was unbearable, unbearable pain,” she said.<\/p>\n
“I wanted to breastfeed my baby so badly, but it was excruciating.<\/p>\n
“Holding a baby I wanted to nourish so badly, who needed me, and just feeling like a complete failure.”<\/p>\n
Support came down to ‘luck’<\/p>\n
Senator Smith said this led to a diagnosis of postnatal anxiety.<\/p>\n
“I remember thinking at the time, ‘Why didn’t anyone warn me about this?'”<\/p>\n
Senator Smith said she was “really fortunate” that over six weeks she was able to seek out support from a lactation consultant and was ultimately able to breastfeed Benjamin.<\/p>\n
“But if I hadn’t been able to get her help, I honestly don’t know how I would have coped and don’t know how long I would have been stuck in that dark place I had found myself in,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
she said.<\/p>\n
Senator Smith attributes her experience with healthcare to the “luck” of living in a capital city like Adelaide and the ability to afford the almost $1,000 cost of the support, something she is aware not every parent has.<\/p>\n
“I just don’t accept that in a country like Australia, good quality postpartum healthcare should be a matter of what you can and cannot afford, it shouldn’t be a matter of where you live and it absolutely shouldn’t rely on luck or chance,” she said.<\/p>\n
“If we believe that every baby matters, every mother matters, every parent matters, and all of them deserve to be able to access quality support and we know that too many aren’t.”<\/p>\n
Birth injuries cost economy billions<\/p>\n
Senator Smith said when a woman was going through a mental or physical health issue post birth it could be hard for them to even leave the house, let alone seek a GP appointment or specialist.<\/p>\n