Jo Briskey (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

For far too long, Women's health has been treated as an afterthought. It was treated as something optional, something secondary. Australian women have been asked to pay more, to wait longer, to justify their pain and, worse still, to simply put up with it or go without care altogether. And we know this because women in our communities have told us. They are women who have sat in doctor's offices, explaining deliberating pain, only to be told it's just a bad period; women who have waited years—sometimes a decade—for a diagnosis of endometriosis; women who have questioned their own physical experiences because the system dismissed them.

Access to affordable health care is a cornerstone of our nation's identity and it is an absolute essential to women's health; to their independence; and to their ability to live full, equal and active lives in their families, in their workplaces and in their local communities. That is exactly why, a little over 12 months ago, the Albanese Labor government announced our historic women's health package, making health care more affordable, more accessible and far more responsive to the actual realities of women's lives.

And let's be clear why this change is finally happening. It's because this Labor government actually reflects the communities we serve. For the first time in our nation's history, we have a majority-female government and a majority-female cabinet. Women are not just present in this parliament; we are shaping it, we are leading it and we are helping drive the agenda. When women are at the table, women's health care is no longer sidelined; it's front and centre. That is why, in just 12 months, more than 700,000 women have accessed 2.3 million cheaper prescriptions through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the PBS. That is 2.3 million moments of genuine relief at the local pharmacy counter. It's 2.3 million moments where a woman didn't have to choose between her health and paying a grocery bill.

Let's look at what that means in real, everyday terms. More than 328,000 women have saved on contraception. This is giving women greater control over their own reproductive health and their futures. Three hundred and eighty-three thousand women have saved on menopausal hormone therapies. This provides crucial support at a time in life that too often has been ignored, brushed under the rug or trivialised. Forty-six thousand women have saved on IVF and fertility treatments, bringing them the dream of starting or growing a family within closer reach for so many. And 7,000 women have saved on endometriosis treatments. These are women who have who were told that their pain was normal or exaggerated or who were simply not taken seriously.

While costs are down, access and quality are going up. Through our investments in Medicare, we are making health care not just cheaper but better and closer to home. New Medicare items mean that essential gynaecological care is more affordable. Procedures like IUD insertions and contraceptive implants are now up to $400 cheaper each year, removing cost as a major barrier to effective long-term care.

We are also tackling the areas that have often been completely overlooked. Since July last year, more than 71,000 women have accessed Medicare funded menopause health assessments. We are finally bringing support, clarity and dignity to a stage of life that has too often been surrounded by silence.

We are investing $49 million to deliver an additional 430,000 services for women living with endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, chronic pelvic pain and other complex conditions because women living with pain deserve answers. They deserve to be believed and they deserve the care that meets their needs. We are also expanding our national network of endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics, adding 11 new clinics to bring it to a total of 33 across Australia, including in regional and rural communities. These clinics aren't just medical facilities; they are places built on a deep understanding of our community's needs. This means more women, no matter their postcode, can access specialised, respectful and comprehensive care.

This is what it looks like when a government takes women seriously. This isn't just about health care; it's about equality. This is our government's record and this is our promise to keep delivering for women not just in words but in real, tangible change that you can see, feel and access every single day in our clinics, in our pharmacies and in our communities.

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