The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) could become the first jurisdiction in Australia to make menstrual products free for people experiencing period poverty, under draft legislation to be released on Wednesday.
The Period Products (Access) Bill, would require the territory government to provide period products free of charge at designated locations.
The incentive comes after lack of access to sanitary products, facilities and menstrual hygiene education, disproportionately affecting marginalised groups including those who are unemployed, homeless, or displaced due to domestic violence.
In August, The Big Bloody Survey Report on menstruation, and to date the largest of its kind, found that in the 125 thousand 205 respondents, one in five “had to improvise on period products due to cost.”
Aiming to address the stigma associated with menstruation, the draft legislation also includes requirements that educational information about menstrual hygiene be made available in multiple languages at government shopfronts.
Last year, Scotland became the first country in the world to make period products free for all who need them.