Pregnant Brisbane City councillor denied remote working request after c-section

A Brisbane City councillor said she was told to catch a cab to work after having a planned caesarean-section (c-section) birth early next year in response to her request to attend meetings online.

Brisbane Labor Deputy Opposition Leader Kara Cook is due to have her third child in January and is not entitled to maternity leave in her position.

Cr Cook said she asked to participate in meetings remotely but was told it was “not possible” — despite the technology being used by the council during the coronavirus pandemic shutdown.

“The answer yesterday was no,” she told ABC Radio Brisbane.

“They hadn’t foreseen that we might need to have hybrid meetings and they weren’t prepared to update the technology to allow that to happen.”

Cr Cook said…