The Greens will provide $100m a year to ensure all public hospitals provide abortion services, moving the conversation from legality to affordability and accessibility.
This will ensure that all Australians—especially those in rural and regional areas—can access essential reproductive healthcare at no cost, through the public hospital system.
In the context of politicised debates about reproductive healthcare in the Queensland and US elections1, the Greens are calling on Labor to lock in free and accessible reproductive care for all Australians across the country, regardless of their postcode or ability to pay.
In Australia, many public hospitals do not provide termination services, meaning many pregnant people are forced to travel or pay for expensive private services. A surgical abortion cost ranges from $500 and can go up to $85002.
Greens leader in the Senate and spokesperson on Women, Larissa Waters
“Reproductive healthcare must not be a culture war or a postcode lottery. No one should fall through the cracks when it comes to accessing vital healthcare.
“While abortion is now legal across the country, whether or not you can actually access this time-bound healthcare is a postcode lottery.
“With the closure of many private abortion facilities in recent years, many women – particularly those in regional and remote areas – are left with little choice but to travel hundreds of kilometres and spend thousands of dollars.
“The Greens will provide $100m per year to equip public hospitals with the personnel and facilities required to provide terminations services.
“In 2018, after decades of advocacy, we finally decriminalised abortion in Queensland and Western Australia became the last state to decriminalise this basic form of healthcare a year ago, a monumental victory.
“We’ve seen conservatives in Queensland, South Australia and the USA open the culture war again and it’s critical Labor take this opportunity to make sure every person in the country can access the reproductive healthcare they need.
“It is disappointing that Labor has ruled out returning to its 2019 position of requiring public hospitals to provide abortion care as part of federal funding agreements. The Greens will push the next government to do what Labor promised in 2019 and get all public hospitals to
provide abortions, and we’ll deliver extra funding to help make it happen.
“The Greens will fund the provision of abortion services and care at no cost through the public health system, and receipt of this new funding will require public hospitals to provide a full suite of reproductive health services, including surgical abortions.
“The Albanese Government is more than a year late to respond to the 36 recommendations in the inquiry’s report, Ending the Postcode Lottery. Women cannot afford to wait any longer.
“The Greens will always prioritise free safe abortions for everyone across Australia.
“Access to reproductive healthcare is not just about legality; it’s about health equity and human rights. It should be available, affordable, and stigma-free for everyone.”
Family Planning Alliance Australia Chair Caroline Mulcahy
“Access to abortion close to a person’s home is vital for reproductive choice.
“Money should not be a factor in the decision to have an abortion or choose to parent, everyone should have universal access to their healthcare choices.
“Abortion is healthcare and should be available in every public hospital in Australia.
“Abortion should not be a postcode lottery, where you live shouldn’t change your reproductive choices or access.
“Supporting hard working doctors and nurses to provide healthcare and ensure our hospitals are equipped to provide abortions should be a priority.
“Decriminalising abortion was the responsibility of states and territories, now it’s time for all governments to work together to make abortion accessible.
“Australians in regional and remote areas should not have to travel hundreds of kilometres for healthcare that could be provided where they live.
“Any barriers to accessing abortion will impact rural and regional Australians, who should have the same quality healthcare as people living in the city.”
References
1. There were highly publicised debates on abortion during the U.S. election. Furthermore, the newly elected Queensland LNP premier could allow abortion rights to be backtracked if he gives his MPs a conscience vote on a private member’s bill, as the Katter Australia Party KAP have indicated they would ‘test the parliament’ on abortion.
Additionally, recent threats to reproductive rights in South Australia remind us how fragile abortion rights can be, we must not take our progress for granted and we must entrench our rights further and move the conversation from legality to affordability
and accessibility.