Rachel Stephen-Smith has written to Mark Butler about making abortions free across Australia

Rachel Stephen-Smith said she had written to federal Health Minister Mark Butler asking for the Commonwealth to offer free abortion services.

It came after it was announced the territory government will cover out-of-pocket costs for Canberra residents from early next year, with $4.6 million allocated over the next four years towards the initiative.

Federal Labor had previously pledged to provide a nationwide free service in 2019 as part of an election commitment but this has not been renewed.

Ms Stephen-Smith said about 1800 people seek abortion in the ACT each year and it can cost anywhere from $100 to $1000.

"This is a very significant cost barrier for some of the most vulnerable people in our community at a time of very high stress," she said.

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Medical and surgical abortions are available in the ACT up to 16 weeks, but Ms Stephen-Smith said the government was working to improve access to abortions beyond that time.

The ACT's only provider of surgical abortion, Marie Stopes, is not able to provide abortions beyond 16 weeks in their current premises. She said work was underway to look for a new premise for the clinic.

"We want to continue to work with the sector and with consumers to increase that access to abortion in safe and sustainable ways," she said.

Marie Stopes International (MSI) Canberra clinic nurse unit manager Melissa Ryan said the announcement of free abortions was fantastic news but she would like it to come into place sooner.

"Free abortion care in the ACT has been a long time coming," Ms Ryan said.

"Cost can be a huge barrier so to see the ACT government leading the way on this issues, particularly for those on temporary visas is a national game-changer.

"The government has flagged funding won't begin until mid-2023. That is 12 months away and women and pregnant people have been waiting too long already for low cost access.

"We'd like to see free access this year."

References to abortion being a crime in the ACT were removed from the Crimes Act two decades ago.

Since then, further changes have been implemented including, in 2016, banning pro-life supporters from protesting within 50 metres of Canberra's abortion clinics. The High Court upheld the validity of exclusion zones in 2019.

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