Jodie Belyea (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Sunday this past week, there was a groundbreaking announcement by the Minister for Finance and the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care focusing on providing accessible reproductive health care for women and girls. The Albanese Labor government is building Australia's future and strengthening Medicare with an investment of more than half a billion dollars to deliver more choice, lower costs and better health care for women with $573 million over five years. Women have asked government persistently to take their health care seriously, and we have listened. Here in the Federation Chamber today we are talking about it in the most unusual of places.

In my late 40s I transitioned into menopause. I spent the first four to five years treating it using alternative medicine. But as time went on that approach stopped working—there were the night sweats, the insomnia, the muscle cramps and the sore joints, and my wellbeing was waning with every month that transpired. I eventually turned to Western medicine to get things under control. Thanks to Dr Sandi Vinson Bromberger and Hayley Binding, who have both supported me to navigate the menopause journey. Without your medical advice, I may not be working at all.

The Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care spoke in the chamber just yesterday about her experience during perimenopause, with flooding on a tram on her way to work, and the embarrassment and sense of helplessness she felt. I remember when I was transitioning from perimenopause to menopause, sitting in a meeting on my first day of a new job, with my new boss, and having to get up due to flooding. I felt totally ashamed and embarrassed. This is the reality of many women experiencing reproductive health issues, with many women choosing to leave the workforce.

The women's economic and equality task report, chaired by our Governor-General Sam Mostyn AC, notes the cost of women not engaging in employment to our economy is $128 billion. Reproductive health issues like period pain, endometriosis and menopause have a significant impact on women's employment. I'm sure there are many people listening to this who will know a woman—a wife, a partner, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a grandmother—who has to stay at home from work or school because of reproductive health issues. Until more recently, we haven't spoken about our experiences openly. The topic of reproductive health has been placed in a closet, spoken about in hushed tones. I always remember my grandmother talking about 'The Change'. She, like many women, felt embarrassed and ashamed to talk about menopause and medical issues, but this week that changed.

Just like that, reproductive health is the hottest topic in health this week, because we have introduced more Medicare support for women experiencing menopause. A new Medicare rebate of around $110 for menopause health assessments will be introduced so women can get the care and support they need from their family GP. Funding will be provided to train health professionals, the first ever clinical guidelines will be developed, a national awareness campaign will be rolled out, and specialist support for menopause will be provided at the 33 endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics. For the first time in more than 20 years we are listing new menopausal hormone therapies. From 1 March we will have a range of hormone therapies listed on the PBS, including EstroGel and EstroGel Pro, helping to secure supply and end the shortage of these important treatments.

More than 150 women each year are expected to save $290 a year or up to $577 a year with a concession card. Two new oral contraceptive pills have been added to the PBS for the first time in more than 30 years—Yaz and Yasmin—saving 50,000 women $250 to $300 dollars a year. Work is under way to list more contraceptive pills. There will be more choice, lower costs and better access to long-term contraceptives. One in 10 Australian women use a long-term contraceptive compared to one in eight in New Zealand, one in seven in Ireland, and one in three in Sweden. Medicare rebates for insertion of IUDs and birth-control implants will increase by up to 150 per cent, with around 300,000 women each year expected to save $400 in out-of-pocket costs. We will open more endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics, treating more conditions, while those that suffer from uncomplicated UTIs will be able to consult a trained pharmacist at no cost.

The PBS listings come into effect almost immediately on 1 March, and the remaining measures will be implemented following the re-election of the Albanese Labor government. These changes could save women and their families thousands of dollars across their lifetime. By presenting this package and making this announcement in federal parliament and in the national media, we are giving women, girls and those that love and support them permission to talk about this topic, to get educated and to get the help they need when they need it.

To my colleagues, thank you for your leadership on women's reproductive health. I would also like to thank the women in my community of Dunkley who have shared their stories and amplified the importance of increased support. Kit McMahon and Laura Riccardi from Women's Health in the South East and Cathy Halmarick from Peninsula Health have also been involved in running a forum on menopause to shine a light on this issue. It's started the process of demystifying a hot topic and enabling women to feel unashamed for asking for help and sharing experiences.

This investment has been informed by extensive consultation with women, healthcare providers, advocacy groups and the National Women's Health Advisory Council and the findings of two separate Senate inquiries. This announcement is a result of having women in leadership at the big table in the highest level of government. Half of the members of the Labor Party are women, and they are making significant contributions alongside our male counterparts.

I have been fortunate to have the income to seek help and pay for medicines to support my menopause journey; however, I know for many women, the cost of treatment has been a big issue. This announcement levels the playing field and ensures women can get the help they need when they need it. Thank you to the women out there that have shared their stories and led the charge. This announcement is a tribute to all of you—Australian women who have worked so hard for so long to have their voices heard on this very important topic.

Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Ryan, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Greens-initiated inquiries and the persistent pressure from women across Australia have finally led to the government listing more modern contraceptive pills and some menopausal hormone therapies on the PBS. The Greens have already announced costed policies that would completely remove the financial burden for women and make all contraceptives free, as they are in France, Ireland and Sweden, and costed policies to make all MHT free, as it is in parts of Canada—and it's heavily subsidised in the UK.

There are 4.8 million women in Australia using contraceptives, and making them free would save women hundreds of dollars a year and empower women to make decisions about bodily autonomy despite a difficult financial climate. The Greens want to work with Labor in a minority government after the election and deliver critical progress for women's health care. I'm pleased that the PBS changes take effect on 1 March, but why did the other elements have to wait until after the election? The menopause assessment, the menopause national awareness campaign and more endometriosis clinics have to wait till post-election.

The government's announcement did nothing to address the affordability and accessibility of surgical abortions. There are still abortion deserts right across Australia, especially in rural and regional areas. Women are having to travel hundreds of kilometres and paying thousands to get this time bound health care. It should be provided in public hospitals. The Greens will continue pushing for comprehensive healthcare access for all women.

I welcome that the opposition backed the government's announcement yesterday, but still Mr Dutton doesn't want to talk about abortion access. He's told his people to stop talking about the issue, but that doesn't fix the issues of affordability or accessibility. A Dutton minority government could send us back to the Dark Ages, bringing with it the potential for Trump style restrictions on reproductive rights in Australia. We cannot afford that. Women's health care must always be a priority, and the Greens will help to keep fighting for

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Every woman has a story about gender bias in the health system. For too long, women and girls have faced barriers to accessing appropriate health care, from being told that their pain during IUD insertion 'isn't that bad', waiting years for a diagnosis of endometriosis, paying hundreds of dollars a year for their chosen contraception, to not being able to access hormone replacement therapy. That's why Labor is delivering an historic boost of over half a billion dollars to women's health. This will deliver more choice, lower costs and better health care for millions of Australian women, including tens of thousands of women in Newcastle. This package is a result of a chorus of voices from across Australia. Women have been telling us that they have needed more from the health and medical system. This is not a new story, but we finally have a government that is listening.

The response to this half a billion dollar package for women's health measures has been literally overwhelming. All of the peak medical bodies, including the RACGP, the AMA and all of the nursing colleges, as well as all of the other professional health bodies, have praised this package as an absolute game changer. But it's not just the health professionals that recognise this; it's women. We have been hearing from the women of Australia. They have been rejoicing that, finally, someone is listening to them about their pelvic pain, menopause symptoms and experiences with contraception. Someone is listening to our concern that to be a woman in Australia means we pay thousands of dollars more on our health over our lifetime.

The Albanese Labor government certainly are listening, and we're doing all of this because, of course, we are Australia's first majority women government. When you have a majority women government, the conversation changes. We can see that not only in women's health but also in every piece of legislation we have created. We see it in wage increases for female dominated industries like aged care and early childhood education; access to increased paid parental leave and ensuring superannuation is paid on that paid parental leave; investments in women's safety; supporting women's sports; and securing more safe housing for women. A majority women government means that every single piece of legislation has a gender lens run over it, and we no longer have ridiculous conversations in our party room about trying to establish the value of ensuring equity in Australia. In all of those areas, we've got fantastic female ministers, as well as the fabulous women MPs and senators in the caucus room, advocating consistently for policies that ensure women get a fair crack at opportunity in this country.

The women's health package is part of a much broader agenda from the Albanese Labor government. It's making sure that women get a fair opportunity and are treated equally in Australia. We've made big steps in the last two years, but there is, of course, always more to do. We know that women face dual gender biases in health care and society. Women face almost sole responsibility for family planning in this nation, physically and financially. That's why we've introduced this package to take unfair financial pressure off women and provide them with more choice.

After more than 30 years, we finally have a new contraceptive pill listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. I have to say—I'm sure this is a shock to Australian men—women have been more than patient about this. I think patience has absolutely run out. Thirty years is more than enough time to finally get some new-generation contraception onto the PBS. So it's great that's going to happen. Currently, one in three women aged 18 to 39 who use the combined oral contraceptive pill are paying for a non-PBS listed pill, which costs them hundreds of dollars more each and every year. From 1 March, in just a couple of weeks time, some of the most commonly used contraceptive pills, like Yaz and Yasmin, will be listed on the PBS after the Minister for Health and Aged Care asked the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee to finally put some deep thinking into how we might extend PBS benefits to this newer generation of oral contraceptives and the menopause hormone therapies. The listing of these pills is expected to benefit around 50,000 women each year who would otherwise have paid $380 a year and will now pay $126.40 a year, or just $30 a year if they're on a concession card. Work is underway to progress the listing of other contraceptive pills, so stay tuned.

Australian women have got some of the lowest uptake of long-term contraceptives, like IUDs, and only one in 10 Australian women use a long-term contraceptive. That is compared to one in eight women in—our closest neighbours—New Zealand, one in seven in Ireland and one in three in Sweden. So we've got some work to do there. The government will be boosting Medicare payments to doctors and nurse practitioners to provide bulk-billed insertion and removal of IUDs and implants, and Medicare rebates will increase by up to 150 per cent, with around 300,000 women each year expected to save up to $400 in out-of-pocket costs.

IUDs and birth-control implants provide health benefits that extend way beyond contraception—I think that's kind of important to note—including the management of really heavy menstrual bleeding, painful periods and endometriosis, as well as perimenopause and menopause. We know they're not for everyone, but every woman should absolutely have the choice and be able to access them if she chooses. An investment of $25.1 million will establish eight centres of training of excellence to ensure healthcare professionals are trained, skilled and confident in recommending and inserting IUDs. One in five Australian women will have menopause symptoms severe enough to interfere with their daily lives. I know a number of my colleagues have spoken about either themselves or women that they've known who've had the extreme end of having to give up work. That is shocking for our economic productivity as a nation, not to mention the extreme impacts that that has on women, forced out of the workforce way too early.

The government will also provide funding for health professionals to undertake additional training in menopause and perimenopause and develop the first ever national clinical guidelines. That's an important step. After more than 20 years, three new menopausal hormone therapies will be listed on the PBS. Again, from 1 March, EstroGel and a number of others now will go onto the PBS listing to help secure supply and end that shortage of these really important treatments. Around 150,000 women each year are expected to benefit, who otherwise might pay between $400 and $670 a year. They will only pay a maximum of $31.60 a month or only $7.70 if they're on a concession card. Women on these therapies will be saving $290-odd a year. But it's much more than the financial gain. It's going to give women a whole new level of confidence and wellbeing, and that's what is especially important.

I just want to end in the brief time that I have left by saying that this historic boost to women's health will deliver on that important matter of choice, help lower costs and make health care for women a much more affordable option. I am very, very proud to be part of the government moving this. I am also very proud to be hosting the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Ged Kearney, who will be conducting a women's health forum in Newcastle on Thursday 20 February. I invite all Novocastrian women to join us in this important historical moment.

Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, too, am very excited to speak on this very important and overdue reform to women's health from Labor, offering women lower costs, more choice and better health care. For too long, women's health has not been taken seriously by decision-makers. We've heard too many stories of women struggling to access essential healthcare services, whether for contraception, menopause support, pelvic pain or endometriosis treatment. Women have had to fight to be heard, to be believed and to receive the care that they need. I think all of us—even if we haven't had a terrible experience, we've had an experience or multiple experiences that come to mind when we think about these things. There are many stories I and every woman I know could share about perhaps not being taken seriously, about problems not being addressed or that couldn't be worked out, or about things that don't really seem fair.

Women face a lot of extra costs at the moment in the health system not because they're unwell but simply because they're women. Our announcement this week will change that. Our government has made a landmark investment in the health and wellbeing of Australian women, an investment of more than $500 million in women's health, which is a historic leap forward and one which will ensure better access, more choice and more affordable health care for millions of Australian women.

This is what happens when you have women in the room making the decisions, and I am so proud that our government is the first with over 50 per cent of women in its caucus. It means that these issues are being discussed. I want to pay a particular tribute to my friend and colleague the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Ged Kearney. For her whole life—as a nurse, a unionist, a member of this House and now a minister—she has fought for better health care and health outcomes for Australians, including Australian women. Part of the work that she's been doing has been shining a light on medical misogyny, which is exactly what we've talked about where, systemically, women's health has not been given the attention it deserves. She's shone a light on these stories of Australian women through forums that she's held—overwhelmed by the numbers and the stories of what people have gone through.

I also want to acknowledge Senator Marielle Smith, who headed up the Senate inquiry into menopause. Again, she shone a light on this experience that affects all women, which has for too long been hidden and taboo. Women, as usual, have been fronting up against serious health challenges but needing to go about their everyday lives as though nothing is happening and not having access to the affordable care that they need.

I would like to acknowledge Senator Katy Gallagher, my ACT colleague, who has led so much change for women as the Minister for Women in this government. I also, of course, want to acknowledge the Minister for Health and Aged Care for championing this as well. It was wonderful to join them all on Sunday at the Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT clinic, and I want to acknowledge that brilliant organisation and the support that they give to Canberra women at all stages of their journey, sometimes in difficult circumstances. The accessible advice and health care that they provide is a really important service.

This package will ensure that women on low incomes can access critical medications through pharmacies, that general practitioners are supported and rewarded for providing quality care, and that women's health concerns—too often dismissed—are met with serious investment and action. It will transform menopause care. It will make contraception more affordable and accessible, reducing unplanned pregnancies. It will ensure that women suffering from endometriosis and pelvic pain get the early diagnosis and treatment they deserve, and it will mean that women experiencing the debilitating pain of urinary tract infections can access treatment more quickly.

I recently met with pharmacists in my electorate, at their pharmacy in Kingston. They were part of a trial of being able to give out antibiotics for UTIs, and they were saying it is such an important thing and they hoped it would be rolled out more broadly. So it is an excellent thing that women will be able to access that quickly and also avoid an appointment with a GP that could be hard to get, expensive and not really necessary if they know what the problem is and can go and get that help from the pharmacy.

These are not just policies; these are life-changing measures that will improve the lives of women across the country at all ages and in all parts of their journeys—women like Allie Pepper, a world-class mountaineer. When she joined us at the announcement of this package in Canberra this week—it was wonderful to hear from her there—she described her battle with menopause as 'harder than Everest'. She thought she'd never climb again. She fought to find a GP trained in menopause care, and, once she did, the right treatment changed her life and made her feel like herself again. Allie is now making incredible progress on her goal to climb all 14 of the 8,000-metre peaks across the world without oxygen. Our medical system cannot stand in the way of women not only achieving amazing goals, like Allie, but also going about their daily routines and facing challenges. As I said, for too long women have had to hide these challenges and just been told it's part of being a woman. It's not always; sometimes there are treatments available that can make a world of difference, and this package is about making those more affordable and accessible to Australian women.

This investment also acknowledges the tireless advocacy of women's health organisations, community leaders and everyday Australians who have spoken about these challenges. Their courage and persistence have led to this moment, and I thank them all for their efforts. Our government is correcting the record for women's health through this package. For the first time in 30 years we have listed new oral contraceptive pills on the PBS. The 50,000 women who use Yaz and Yasmin will save hundreds of dollars a year. It amazed me when I heard that a pill hadn't been listed in so long, but then I remembered paying a fortune for things. What a difference this will make to Australian women! Many of the pills are old and are not as effective and don't work as well. Thirty years is a long time. These newer pills are now on the PBS, and so women can find the one that is right for them.

We're also introducing more choice, lower cost and better access to long-term contraceptives, with larger Medicare payments and more bulk-billing for IUDs and birth control implants. This will save 300,000 women up to $400 a year in out-of-pocket costs for the birth control that works best for them. The importance of ensuring that women will have choice in their birth control cannot be overstated. Not every form of birth control is right for every woman. We have unique bodies and unique responses to different medications. Our government, by providing lower-cost alternatives, is giving women the option to find the birth control that's right for them. It gives us agency over our bodies and control over our reproductive health. Most women would recall being dismissed at some point in their lives while trying to sort out those sorts of issues.

As the assistant minister likes to say, medical misogyny is alive and well. A woman with endometriosis waits, on average, seven years to receive a diagnosis. Endometriosis affects one in nine women; it's not uncommon. A women with polycystic ovary syndrome waits, on average, two years for a diagnosis, and PCOS affects one in five women. These illnesses are often debilitating, with detrimental effects on both physical and mental health, and that's not taking into account menopause, which every person who menstruates will experience at some point in their lives. Menopausal hot flushes, lack of sleep and muscle and joint aches are an almost universal experience for women, and for too long these conditions have not received the funding, research or resources that make significant improvements to the quality of life of Australian women. This package is investing in 11 new endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics around the country, joining the 22 we have already funded. All 33 clinics will be staffed to provide this important care to women.

I am so proud of this announcement and of my colleagues—including the assistant minister, who is here—the work that they have done, and the difference this will make to the lives of Australian women—things that seem overdue. It has taken an Albanese Labor government, with these women pushing these important issues, to achieve this change for Australian women, and I want everyone to know about it.