The Albanese government has announced a $793 million investment in women’s health that promises to create more choice, lower costs and deliver better healthcare.

The allocation is $200 million more than previously announced by Mark Butler, the Minister for Health and Aged Care, last month, and comes within an overall budget funding package for healthcare of $124.8 billion.  

Delivering the 2025/26 federal budget tonight Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the cash boost would have significant impacts for women of reproductive age in Australia, and women experiencing menopause.

“This funding will help Australian women save on contraception, endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics and receive better support through menopause,” Chalmers said.

“Because for our government, women’s health is not a boutique issue or a question of special interest, it is a national priority.”

Health economist Professor Brenda Gannon, of the University of Queensland, commended the move as building on the 2018 national action plan for endometriosis.

“They are building on that each time, and they’re putting more funding towards endometriosis and more women are availing these services,” she told Central News.

The budget allocation was a follow through from the government’s pledge in February to provide more endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics and make them available in more places.

Labor has invested more that $127 million to support women with endometriosis since winning office in 2022, including boosting Medicare rebates for specialist gynaecological care and listing the first endometriosis medicine on the pharmaceutical benefit scheme in 30 years.

When I think about how much money I spend on like a lot of pointless doctor’s appointments, I just feel like I’m excited for the Medicare rebates.

Aimee McIntyre, 25, from Warriewood who suffers from endometriosis welcomed the funding boost.

“When I think about how much money I spend on like a lot of pointless doctor’s appointments, I just feel like I’m excited for the Medicare rebates, for sure,” she added.

The increased spending is also set to cover an oral contraceptive pill used by approximately 50,000 Australian women annually, reducing the costs from $380 to $126.40 a year. Better access to long-term contraceptives such as IUDs or birth control implants will also be covered. 

Medicare rebates will increase by 150 per cent, covering around 300,000 women an extra $400 in out-of-pocket costs.

Gannon said while the increased rebates from $91 to $215 would “incentivise more women providers and women GPs to get involved in the service”, older women had been excluded from any health care benefits covered by the budget.

“There is much discussion about aged care worker wage increases and rights for older people in care, but still no mention about older people’s rights in general, for example, access to state pensions for all who are within a lower income category,” she said.

“This has been overlooked so far in recent debates.”

According to the National Health Survey, 48.7 per cent of older women were more likely to have a chronic health condition compared to 44.2 per cent of older men. 

“Those women of older age, who are still working but might be past the need to avail those services, they still would have health needs, and particularly if they want to continue working,” said Gannon. 

Main image by Michelle Leman/Pexels.