Some of the breastfeeding rooms in government departments had no locks on the doors, she said. "When one is breast pumping, one is semi naked. A pump attaches to the chest," she said. "To have their privacy assured, there must be a lock on the door as per other personal ablutions. If women are not confident of their privacy they will be reluctant to breast pump."

Breast pumping allowed women with fewer than six months paid maternity leave to continue supplying breast milk to their babies after returning to work.

Mrs Jones, who made ACT history when she breastfed her baby in the chamber in 2015, was speaking during a motion brought by Labor backbencher Tara Cheyne which highlighted Labor's action on women, in light of the pay gap and under-representation of women in leadership positions and in full-time work.

In response to Mrs Jones' call for locks on doors for women using breast pumps, Ms Cheyne said as a minimum there should be clear signs, indicating whether a room was in use. Locks were being considered subject to a risk assessment.

Mrs Jones also raised the issue again of portaloos for fire fighters, saying she had been concerned to hear Emergency Services Agency head Dominic Lane telling annual report hearings that no-one had complained to him about the lack of toilets.

"I was gobsmacked that the head of an ACT government agency would approach a sensitive issue in such a manner," Mrs Jones said.

".. Does the minister or head of service want a woman to knock on his door and sit down for a nice chat and say, "excuse me sir, may I have access to a toilet, I feel uncomfortable changing my tampon in public?""

The lack of response to concerns about the lack of portaloos was a "breathtaking example" of "inherent blindness" by people who did not understand how women could be stripped of dignity in the workplace, she said.

Mrs Jones also pointed to the lack of accommodation for women in the ACT jail, saying at times 32 women had been housed in an area with 29 beds, despite the money spent recently on expanding accommodation and work areas for men in prison.

"I want to see women here applying for jobs as police officers and fire fighters without hesitating because of their gender," she said.

"I want to see mothers confidently applying their skills in the workforce without fear of losing their jobs or experiencing too much stress and embarrassment because of their children or their personal sanitation needs.

"I want to see women in the prison having the opportunity to develop their skills in a wide variety of industries so they can gain the benefits of these upon their release into the community."