SENATOR KATY GALLAGHER
MINISTER FOR FINANCE
MINISTER FOR WOMEN
MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE
MINISTER FOR GOVERNMENT SERVICES
SENATOR FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

WOMEN'S AGENDA

FROM CONTRACEPTION TO MENOPAUSE AND IVF: HOW $25 SCRIPTS WILL RESHAPE WOMEN’S HEALTH

On New Year’s Day, Australians woke up to cheaper medicines. From now on, no PBS medicine will cost more than $25 a script – a price they haven’t been since 2004.

While this is a change that’s good for all Australians, for women it means more affordable contraception, menopause, endometriosis and IVF treatment — a change that has been decades in the making.

Here in Australia, we rightly consider the PBS one of our national treasures. I’d go so far as to say, like Medicare, it’s hard to imagine life without the PBS ensuring the medicines we need are affordable and accessible for all.

But like any enduring institution, there’s always room for improvement. And when I became Minister for Women, one of the first things raised with me was the inequities in the health system and women paying more than they should simply because the medicines they rely on weren’t listed on the PBS.

This included everything from oral contraceptive pills to menopause treatment and IVF medication.

Here’s an example for you: Yaz® and Yasmin® are among the most commonly used contraceptive pills used by Australian women. Yet until last year, they weren’t listed on the PBS. In fact, no new contraceptives had been added to the PBS for thirty years!

It was the same for menopause, with no new treatments being added in over two decades.

As a government, we knew we had to do something. That’s why Health Minister Mark Butler asked the PBAC – the independent body that assesses and recommends medicines for the PBS – to look more closely at how we could better support women’s health.

And following recommendations from the PBAC, early last year, the Albanese Government funded some of the biggest PBS upgrades in decades. We listed the contraceptives Yaz® and Yasmin®, and then added Slinda®, Nextstellis® and Nuvaring®. For women living with endometriosis, we added Ryeqol®. For those navigating menopause, we listed Estrogel®, Prometrium® and Estrogel Pro® and for those undergoing IVF we added Pergoveris®.

These changes saved hundreds of thousands of women hundreds of dollars last year.

And now, with $25 scripts – those medications just became even cheaper.

This is a change I’m really proud of. For too long, Australian women have struggled in health systems that haven’t been built for them. And thanks to our PBS upgrades, that’s changed for the better.

I’m also proud that periods and contraception, perimenopause, menopause, endometriosis and adenomyosis are no longer topics to be politely avoided.

And I’m proud of the investments we’ve made to boost Medicare support for IUDs and implants, to train more doctors in menopause care, to open new specialist endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics, and to tackle longstanding health gender bias.

But of course, I also know there’s more to do. And we have to keep up the momentum.

This year, I’ll continue working closely with the Minister for Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, and Assistant Minister for Women and Health, Rebecca White, to deliver better health outcomes for women.

The PBS was a Labor reform – and 2026 marks 80 years since it was backed by the Australian people in a referendum.

So, eight decades on, the work continues.

$25 scripts are the latest step, but they won’t be the last. Happy new year and here’s to a fairer, healthier 2026.

ENDS