Proposal for ACT government to offer free period products

Service providers would also be allowed to apply to be included in the proposed scheme and would receive ACT government assistance in the provision of period products.

The ACT would be the first Australian jurisdiction to implement the laws if it the bill put forward by Labor backbencher Suzanne Orr is successful.

Ms Orr has put forward an exposure draft bill for consultation and said she would be seeking feedback about other places where free period products could be offered.

"The criteria that we're quite keen to put in place is around places that are easily accessible, that don't necessarily single a person out who needs to access period products so they are not having any shame or stigma attached to it and places that a range of people can get to," she said.

Ms Orr said while a range of healthcare centres and public schools offered free period products this bill would formalise those arrangements.

A recent survey from Share the Dignity found that 15 per cent of respondents in the ACT had struggled to afford period products at some point in their life.

Ms Orr said it was important to bring the conversation to the public in order to tackle a stigma around periods.

"Not feeling like you can talk about periods freely and openly creates that stigma and the only way we change that is to bring the conversation wide out into the public," she said.

"Periods are a normal bodily function, yet they are still heavily stigmatised in society, resulting in people being uncomfortable to talk about periods.

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"Asking friends when in need of a tampon or asking a boss for time off because of period pain, are common actions often associated with shame.

"It shouldn't be this way, no one should be ostracised because they do not have access to the products, facilities and understanding they need to respond to a normal bodily function."

Ms Orr has proposed to introduce to the ACT Legislative Assembly next year.

Prior to its introduction, there will be a survey which will ask about people's experiences associated with stigma around periods.

The ACT Council of Social Services welcomed the proposed private members' bill.

"It is shocking that some members of the Canberra community are denied the basic dignity and hygiene afforded by the provision of period products," ACTCOSS chief executive Emma Campbell said.

"Period poverty affects those most disadvantaged by the high costs of living in the ACT, as well as other people including those experiencing family violence."

ACT Labor resolved to adopt universal period product access at its July conference, following a motion put forward by Labor member Pradeep Sornaraj.

He said it was important to address the stigma associated with periods, and he wanted a world in which his daughter did not have this stigma.

"This is a great achievement for the ACT and given that it's a very progressive territory, I think it's a very good thing to happen here," Mr Sornaraj said.

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