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An employer has claimed it didn't have to provide "gold standard" breastfeeding facilities to accommodate an employee's needs, but its pop-up tent in an open storeroom was far from an adequate solution, a tribunal found.

ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal Presidential Member Heidi Robinson and Senior Member Lea Drake criticised the employer for failing to adjust to "the needs of a modern workplace", noting its attitude towards breastfeeding was unlikely to "encourage women of childbearing age to consider [it] as a long-term employer".

The former assistant restaurant manager for Southern Restaurants (Vic) – the largest private KFC franchise owner in the country – claimed the employer indirectly discriminated against her because of her status as a breastfeeding mother.

She told the Tribunal that in October 2021, prior to her scheduled return to work after giving birth, she met with two managers, both men, to discuss flexible work arrangements to accommodate her parenting and breastfeeding commitments...