Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today during Women's Health Week to reflect on the progress we are making and the challenges that remain when it comes to women's health, safety and wellbeing in this country. This week is an important moment in our national calendar. It gives us the chance to pause and take stock, to listen to women's experiences and to recommit ourselves to building a fairer, healthier and safer Australia for women and girls. When we talk about women's health, too often it is a conversation that's limited to doctors' visits and hospital care, but women's health is much more than that. It is about dignity. It is about safety. It is about financial security and independence. It is about ensuring women have the foundations they need to live healthy lives, to raise their families, to participate fully in the workforce and to thrive in their communities. This week is an opportunity to say clearly that women's health matters, and the Albanese Labor government is making it a priority.

Since coming to government, we have been working to deliver change that makes a real difference to the lives of women. We know that for far too long women's specific health needs have been underrecognised, underfunded and in some cases completely dismissed. We know that too many women have had to put up with the pain that wasn't taken seriously, the costs that have made essential treatment unaffordable or the systems that were simply not designed with their realities in mind. That is why this government is determined to do things differently. Women's health is not an afterthought for us. It is central to our work, it is central to our vision and it is central to the Australia that we are building together.

During this Women's Health Week we can see the real results that are part of this commitment. Since we launched our women's health package earlier this year, more than 365,000 women have accessed over 715,000 cheaper prescriptions for oral contraceptives, for treatments to manage menopause and for medicines to treat endometriosis. These are conditions and experiences that millions of women live through every day, and, for the first time, many of those essential treatments are now affordable on the PBS. The difference this makes is huge. Before these new listings women were paying up to $380 a year for contraceptives like Yas or Yasmin and Slinda. Now those costs have dropped to $126 a year. For women with a concession card it is as low as $30.80c. That is not just a small saving; it is the difference between being able to afford reliable contraception or going without. It is the difference between control and uncertainty.

For menopausal therapies, the impact is even more striking. Before Estrogel and Prometrium were added to the PBS women could be paying up to $670 a year. Now that cost is $31.60 a script or $7.70 with a concession card. For many women that is lifechanging. It is recognition that menopause is not something women should just have to put up with. It is a health issue that deserves proper care and support. Care should not come with a price tag that locks women out. More than 20,000 women have had menopause health assessments through Medicare since the service became available in July. For the first time in our history menopause care is embedded in our national health system. That is extremely long overdue. It is about dignity, it is about fairness, and it is about listening to women when they say what they say what they need.

We are not stopping there. From 1 November this year women will have access to affordable IUDs and birth-control implants through Medicare. These changes mean women will be able to make choices about their reproductive health without costs being a barrier. They mean fewer unintended pregnancies, fewer health risks and more autonomy for women over their bodies. This is what fairness looks like in action. This is what it means to have a government that puts women at the centre of health policy. We've also established a National Women's Health Advisory Council, chaired by the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Rebecca White. This council will ensure that women's health issues remain a priority in government decision-making not just this week, not just this year but permanently. It means expert voices will be at the table guiding us on emerging priorities and making sure that women's needs are never ignored again.

When we talk about women's health, we cannot separate it from women's safety. We know that violence against women is one of the biggest health issues that we face as a country. Violence robs women of their security, of their wellbeing and of their independence. Too often it robs them of their lives. It leaves lasting scars on mental health, on financial health and on families and communities. That is why the Albanese Labor government has delivered a crucial reform in giving Services Australia new powers to waive social security debts to victims-survivors of abuse and coercive control. For too long women have been forced into debt by abusive partners where they were left to carry that burden on their own. They were punished twice—once by their abuser and again by the system. This reform changes that. We recognise that financial abuse is one of the most insidious forms of control. It is when someone is forced to sign documents, claim payments or take on debts against their will. It is about trapping women in poverty, limiting their choices and making it harder to escape.

That is why this change matters so much. By allowing these debts to be waived, we are lifting a huge weight from women's shoulders. We are saying clearly: 'We believe you. We support you. We will not let this system retraumatise you.' This is about women's health every bit as much as it is about justice. Financial stress is a health issue. Poverty is a health issue. Being trapped in unsafe situations because you cannot afford to leave is a health issue. By fixing this injustice we are giving women the chance to rebuild, to return to study or work, to care for their children and to live free from fear. This reform did not come from nowhere. It was driven by the courage of victims-survivors who spoke up, often at a great personal cost, to share their experiences. It was driven by the persistence of frontline services, financial counsellors, legal centres and advocates, who never gave up fighting for change. To all of them I say thank you. Your voices are being heard.

Together, these reforms—cheaper medicines, Medicare services, reproductive health support and debt waivers for victims-survivors—are part of a bigger picture. They are about building an Australia where women's health, women's safety and women's economic security are treated as national priorities, not as optional extras. And they reflect the values of this government. We believe in fairness. We believe in compassion. We believe in listening to women and acting on what we hear. And we believe that when women are safe, healthy and supported our whole country is stronger. That is why we are investing in the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children. That is why we are closing the gender pay gap and improving workplace equality. And that is why we are building stronger maternity services, expanding women's health clinics, particularly in regional and rural communities, and making sure that women everywhere—whether in Perth, in regional WA or across this country—can get the care and support they deserve.

Women's health care is not a niche issue. It is a national issue. It affects every family, every community and every workplace. When women are forced to carry costs that they can't afford, it affects their families. When women are trapped in unsafe relationships because they can't afford to leave, it affects their communities. When women are excluded from the workforce because of untreated health conditions, it affects the whole economy. The Albanese Labor government understands this, and we are acting on it. We are delivering practical reforms that are already making a difference to hundreds of thousands of women, and we are determined to keep going.

So, this Women's Health Week, let's celebrate the progress we have made. But let us also recognise the work that is still to be done. Let us keep listening to women, keep lifting the barriers and keep fighting for fairness, because women's health is everyone's business, and when we make it a priority we will make it a stronger, better, fairer Australia for all of us.