The Informer

13 Jun 2016

Tackling the ‘tampon tax’ and its affect of some on Australia’s most vulnerable women

News & Politics

Australian economy earns $25 million a year on taxable women’s sanitary products under the GST. Image: Terry Robinson via Flickr

In May 2015 then Treasurer Joe Hockey promised Australian women he would lobby the states to ditch the tax on women’s sanitary products under the GST, saying he believed tampons and pads were an essential health item.

Following Hockey’s statement on the ABC’s Q&A program, the Labor Party made clear its support for the removal of the tax – dubbed the ‘tampon tax’.

One year on and the tampon tax is still going strong earning the Australian economy a whopping $25 million each year – and things don’t look to be changing anytime soon.

At a press conference last week Bill Shorten reneged on his original commitment to abolish the tampon tax saying it was detrimental to the health of the economy.

This week Emma Arnold and Stephanie McLean take to the streets to find out how Melbournians feel about the tampon tax, but they also delve into the issue of accessibility when it comes to women’s sanitary items.

The girls speak with Donna Stolzenberg, creator of the Melbourne Period Project to find out why easy access to sanitary products is an absolute must for homeless women in Australia.

In purchasing sanitary products the Melbourne Period Project, as a charity organisation is exempt from GST, but Stolzenberg says essential and taxable health products like tampons and pads contribute to a dependence on homelessness services and discourage people from gaining independence and getting off the streets.

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