As the cost of living rises, girls and women are increasingly forced to choose between purchasing menstrual products and food. The Victorian government is installing vending machines with free pads and tampons in up to 700 public places across Victoria. Last week, Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins announced the launch of offering these free products in public spaces.
This initiative is globally pioneering, with only Scotland also providing free pads and tampons in public spaces and more recently the ACT. Since 2019, the Victorian government has been offering free sanitary products in public schools. Menstrual products are a necessity and not a luxury and yet period poverty is increasing in Australia, a first world country.
Period poverty and the lack of access to menstrual products and education, is a significant barrier to gender equality. It affects millions of people worldwide, leading to missed school days, work absences, and social stigma. Share the Dignity is an Australian organisation focused on achieving menstrual equity in Australia.
In 2024 Share the Dignity released their , the world’s largest data on menstruation and . The data shows that period poverty is prevalent in every Australian state and is highest in Tasmania and lowest in the ACT. The stigma associated with menstruation is alive and well.
The data indicates that missed work days due to periods cost the Australian economy $9.6 billion annually. This highlights the urgent need.