Western Australia has become the latest state in the country to offer its public school students free sanitary products.
The state’s Women’s Interests Minister Simone McGurk, announced the pilot program will roll out across 225 public schools in the first term of 2023.
“It’s about bloody time we’ve done this in schools,” McGurk said.
On her Facebook page, the State Labor Member for Fremantle said: “By making these products more accessible, we’re helping to end the stigma surrounding periods – and helping young women reach their full potential.”
“No student should miss out on school because they have their period”
McGurk did not reveal how much the program would cost, nor yet how the products would be distributed, but a tender is due to go live in October.
WA’s Education Minister and Leader in the Legislative Council, Sue Ellery said the government plans to model the initiative off other states’ programs before making a decision.
“There are a range of options that are in place in other states, we’ll look at those,” she said.
The WA government has been criticised for its delayed response to the issue of ‘period poverty’, which describes the inability to purchase sanitary products, experienced by many people across Australia and around the world.
In late 2019, Victoria became the first state or territory in Australia to provide free sanitary products to all students in state schools.
In Term 3 of that year, products were distributed at each school. By the end of Term 2 the following year, every school had dispensing machines providing these products.
Last year, South Australia announced free pads and tampons would be made available in every public school to ensure girls do not miss school because they could not access sanitary items. Since then, the Northern Territory and Tasmania have also followed suit.
McGurk responded to criticism of her state’s delayed response, citing an increase demand on public funds.
“There’s always demand for government to do more and to provide more free services,” she said.