Breastfeeding and expressing is a legal right and Nala’s got message for Virgin Australia about it

Community Announcement
23 September 2025
https://wearnala.com

A powerful message rolled into action last week with intimates brand Nala taking to the streets with a roaming billboard truck in response to an incident involving Dr Elise Turner, a women’s health doctor and mother, who was asked to leave Virgin Australia’s business lounge because she was expressing breastmilk.

The billboard, positioned outside Virgin’s terminal and offices, carried a clear message that needs to be heard:
“It’s just a boob.
It’s 2025.
It’s time to get comfortable.
Nala xx”

In an Instagram story that would have infuriated many (including us!) Dr Elise Turner shared that a Virgin Australia lounge staff member told her that pumping (while discreet, under her shirt) was making other people feel “uncomfortable,” and asked her either to leave or to use a bathroom to express milk.

Poor behaviour on Virgin’s part considering that she was a paying business class passenger- not to mention this Virgin staff member was also breaking the law- something that Virgin has since admitted to but are yet to issue a formal apology for at the time of this article being published.  

Human rights barrister Kate Eastman SC says “Breastfeeding discrimination is crystal clear - it’s against the law. When companies fail to train staff properly, they put mothers in humiliating situations and expose themselves to legal and reputational damage. It is unacceptable that women are still fighting this battle in 2025.”

Every time a mother is shamed for breastfeeding or expressing milk in public, stigma is reinforced. That stigma can lead to anxiety, guilt, unnecessary concealment, or even avoidance of public settings. Mothers have the right to care for their babies in ways that are discreet, legal, and respectful. The law supports that and it’s important you know your rights.

What the law says about expressing milk and breastfeeding:

• The Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) protects both breastfeeding and expressing breastmilk as a characteristic of women. It is unlawful under that Act to discriminate against a woman because she is breastfeeding or expressing. 
• All Australian states and territories supplement federal law with local legislation that also protect breastfeeding/expressing under “goods and services” or “public places” discrimination laws. 
• Discrimination includes being asked to leave, being refused service, or being told you cannot express or breastfeed in spaces publicly accessible or where paying customers are invited. 

“No mother should ever be made to feel ashamed for feeding her child or expressing milk, not in 1984 when the law was written, and certainly not in 2025,” says a spokesperson for the Australian Breastfeeding Association. “To tell a woman she’s making people uncomfortable for something so natural and legally protected is outdated, harmful and flat-out unlawful.”

So what can you do?

• If you are asked to stop expressing or breastfeeding in a public or semi-public space, you can politely inform the service provider or staff that the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 protects breastfeeding and expressing.
• If you face discrimination, you can raise a complaint through your state or territory’s anti-discrimination agency.
• Support brands and spaces that proactively state policies welcoming breastfeeding/expressing mothers and stop supporting those that don’t!

Nala’s billboard is an important public statement to challenge stigma and highlight the legal rights of expressing mothers. With previous bold campaigns (like their “giant boob” float in the Yarra River in 2023, and the “Sorry to Offend You” campaign in 2024), Nala is reinforcing that public awareness and accountability are part of change.