Victorian Labor announced on Thursday a commitment to make abortion care free if the party is re-elected in November. The state's health minister, Ingrid Stitt, stated that Labor would invest $30m over four years to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for abortion services.
Under the proposed plan, private providers would receive payments to deliver medical and surgical abortions up to 16 weeks' gestation. This would mean women would no longer pay for GP and specialist consultations, scans, tests, or medication. Additionally, women in regional Victoria who travel for care would be eligible for a subsidy.
The government also intends to extend access to medical abortion from nine to 10 weeks' gestation and commission a clinical review into potentially offering it up to 12 weeks' gestation. Currently, women in Victoria can obtain a termination during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, and later with the agreement of two doctors.
Danielle Mazza, head of Monash University’s department of general practice, stated that this announcement would align Victoria with jurisdictions like the UK and Ireland, making it the first Australian state to provide abortion care without out-of-pocket costs, with only the ACT currently offering free services.