Key points
- The state Labor election pledge would cost $23 million.
- Dan Andrews said 1,500 free tampon and pad dispensers would be installed.
- The initiative would help address period poverty.
Victoria could be the first Australian state to provide free period products to the general public.
If re-elected on 26 November, Premier Daniel Andrews' government will provide women and girls across the state with free pads and tampons.
The move would put Victoria at the forefront of normalising periods and addressing period poverty, an issue of Australian women have experienced.
While some countries and states (including Victoria) offer free period products in schools, Scotland is currently the only country in the world to provide them more widely.
How would the free period products be accessed?
Labor’s plan would see 1,500 pad and tampon dispensing machines installed at up to 700 sites including public hospitals, courts, TAFEs, libraries and train stations.
The pledge has been welcomed by Share the Dignity, an organisation that distributes sanitary items for free across Australia.
Labor's plan would cost $23 million and while full details about the dispensers were not provided in Mr Andrew’s , Share the Dignity's founder Rochelle Courtenay said she expected they would be similar to those in Victorian schools.
These are slightly different to the dispensers Share the Dignity provides, which have a timer that prevents the machine from being used more than once every 10 minutes to reduce wastage.
What is period poverty?
In his Saturday announcement, Mr Andrews said pads and tampons weren't a luxury.
“They’re a necessity — and women should be able to get them wherever they are,” he said.
Ms Courtenay said period poverty means being unable to afford basic essentials such as sanitary items.
"You're leaving tampons for too long or you're going through anxiety about how you're going to be able to afford to buy products,” she said.
She said the rising cost of living had exacerbated the issue.
When she launched Share the Dignity seven years ago, the focus was assisting those experiencing homelessness and poverty.
"Now we've got people who are working, who are living pay cheque to pay cheque and using wadded up toilet paper to deal with their period,” she said.
Rochelle Courtenay wants to stop period poverty and take away the idea that menstruation and period products are taboo subjects. Source: Supplied / Share the Dignity
Breaking down the taboo
The Labor government says providing period products for free would help “normalise periods”.
“Having access to pads and tampons during menstruation is about providing basic dignity. It breaks down the taboo,” Mr Andrews said.
Ms Courtenay said the shame around menstruation only made it more difficult to address period poverty and ensure women were able to access the products they required.
“When I started the charity, you couldn't find a picture of girls holding pads or tampons other than Courtney Cox but there are now thousands of pictures.
“We're on the precipice of some real change when it comes to that, but unless we educate boys and girls and everybody, we're not going to see that shame and stigma removed."
Ms Courtenay said while Victoria had rolled out access to sanitary items in schools, the state had not made any changes to educate students about menstruation in the way Queensland schools have.
“They [the Queensland government] have committed to rolling out vending machines in all schools, but they're also committed to changing the way that education has been done,” she said.
Ms Courtenay said Queensland was delivering period education to both male and female students.
Reusable period products and further action
Ms Courtney said she hoped the federal government will follow Victoria's lead.
She said governments should also be looking at reusable period products.
Items such as menstrual cups are more sustainable and can provide long-term savings.
While such products are not always realistic options for those in vulnerable situations, Ms Courtenay said women should have options.
What is the opposition pledging?
While Opposition leader Matt Guy’s office did not respond to SBS News' request for comment on Sunday, last week he pledged to address another matter affecting women.
Matthew Guy has pledged a Liberal-Nationals state government would remove out-of-pocket costs for the collection and initial storage of eggs for women with cancer or conditions such as severe endometriosis. Source: AAP / DIEGO FEDELE
This could save affected women up to $7,000.
