The children of their generation and ours

They work the farms and build the roads for example; as our older arms and legs grow tired, they become the doctors and nurses that care for us when we get ill or just frail; they make our glasses and hearing aids; they amuse us on television and play the music we love hearing, whether it is the Australian Chamber Orchestra or Silverchair.

And importantly, as the number of people of working age available to support those over 64 drops from five to one in 1991, to three to one in 2051, they pay the taxes. Taxes that support us in our old age, as we become the prime users of public health and transport services.

Those same children will consume goods so producers can afford to make them and we can buy them too; the list of contributions to our way of life, whether or not they are our children, is an endless one.

As Khalil Gibran said:

"Your children are not your children; they are the children of their generation". He should have added "and ours".

The sort of society that supports a woman's need for work and family balance, is exactly the same society that enables childless people to balance their work with the rest of their lives; whether that is playing in a rock band, volunteering for community work or caring for their parents or elderly neighbours.

It is a sad day when the Sex Discrimination Commissioner has to defend the contribution of children; it is time to move on from questioning whether or not we all need families and instead focus on how we make sure our young families of today can produce stable, loving and capable young people who will ensure Australia’s future.