WA Secondary Schools To Offer Free Period Products
“It’s about bloody time”
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Students in years 7 to 12 in Western Australia will have access to free pads and tampons to ensure they do not have to miss school if they cannot afford sanitary products.
The products will be available in schools from next year, and marks Western Australia as the final Australia state to introduce the plan.
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The State Government said 225 public schools will be provided with the free products, but it has not yet determined how much the program will cost.
Women's Interests Minister Simone McGurk said students shouldn’t have to miss school if they suffer from period poverty – the term given to describe women and girls who are unable to afford products.
"It's about bloody time we've done this in schools."
"For too long, girls and young women have felt embarrassed [and] they often haven't had access to the products they've needed.
“By delivering on this important initiative we are helping to end the stigma surrounding periods and building on our commitment to advance gender equality in WA.
“This will help improve education outcomes for women and girls.”
Introducing free products comes days after Fremantle folk singer, former human biology teacher and author of Period Queen, Lucy Peach, published an open letter to Premier Mark McGowan, urging action.
“Menstrual products are essential for around 50 per cent of our young people, who have no choice about having their period,” she wrote on Instagram.
“Having what they need to bleed is a human right.
“We know young people are forced to wear pads and tampons for longer than is safe.
“We know that this causes them to miss out on schooling.
“Period poverty has an ongoing impact on every part of a young person’s life: their education, physical and mental health, participation in sport and socialising, their wellbeing and self esteem and their ability to access their potential for success in school and beyond."
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