Alicia Payne, with baby Joseph, husband Ben and son Paul. Photo: Facebook.
Member for Canberra Alicia Payne and husband Ben Phillips have welcomed their third child to the family.
Joseph Douglas Phillips was born on Saturday, 4 October, at 4:50 am at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children at the Canberra Hospital, weighing 3.7 kilograms.
Her office said both mother and baby were doing well, and siblings Paul, aged seven, and Elena, five, adored their new brother.
Ms Payne said she and Ben were delighted and felt very blessed to welcome little Joseph into their family.
“A huge thank you to all the team at Canberra Hospital for taking such wonderful care of us and the amazing job they do to support mothers and babies each day,” she said.
“I also want to thank Dr Ken Tan and his team for the excellent care and support we received throughout my pregnancy.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Joseph’s arrival in Parliament.
“I can inform the House that Joseph Douglas Phillips arrived over the weekend – the newest ACT constituent,” he said.
Young Joseph weighed 3.7 kilograms and was 49.5 centimetres long. Mum and young Joseph are going very, very well and are delightful.
“I have seen some fantastic photos of the very, very happy family. So to Alicia and her partner, Ben – I’m sure on behalf of everyone in this House – congratulations. We look forward to meeting young Joseph.”
Ms Payne has been the Labor Member for Canberra since the 2019 federal election. She serves on several committees and is chair of the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories.
