Women’s health

For too long, women’s health has been overlooked and under diagnosed.

This was demonstrated to be true in the Victorian Government’s landmark Inquiry into Women’s Pain.

More than 13,000 women and girls shared their experiences to demand women’s pain is taken seriously.

In response to this inquiry we have already funded the roll out of the green whistle – a pain‑relieving inhaler – for procedures to insert intrauterine devices at the 20 specialised women’s reproductive and sexual health hubs across the state.

This also included introducing a Women’s Pain Standard across the public health system, empowering women to understand the level
of care they should expect when managing their pain.

We are continuing to roll out a network of dedicated women’s health clinics to deliver free, specialised care for everything from pelvic pain to managing the symptoms of menopause.

Currently 15 women’s health clinics are operational across Victoria, with 5 new clinics scheduled to open in the second half of 2026, including:

• Ararat, led by East Grampians Health Service
• Bacchus Marsh, led by Western Health
• Heidelberg, led by Austin Health and Mercy Health
• Prahran, led by Bayside Health and based at The Alfred
• Parkville (a dedicated Kids and Teens clinic), led by The Royal Children’s Hospital.

This Budget invests a further $10 million in preventative sexual health support for Victorian women, providing funding for peer‑led health and wellbeing services and women’s health organisations.

Gender responsive budgeting in action

Australia is on track to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035.

After the introduction of Australia’s human papillomavirus (HPV) school vaccination program in 2007, cervical cancer diagnoses dropped to zero in women under 25 in 2021. This is a first since national records began more than 40 years ago.

HPV is linked to more than 99% of cervical cancer cases. And while people diagnosed were almost exclusively women, carriers of HPV are not.

The majority of people carrying an HPV virus will be asymptomatic – and possibly never know that they even had it.

The most common sign of being a carrier will show up as an abnormal finding on a cervical screening test.

Ensuring that the HPV vaccine continues to be funded for all young people through our essential vaccine schedules is what puts us in line for being the first country to eliminate cervical cancer.

Affordable and accessible

Accessible and high‑quality public healthcare services are an important way to ensure that women can look after their health and receive the care they need.

That’s why we’re providing more affordable and accessible healthcare, including:

• $133 million to deliver hospital‑level care in patients’ homes through home visits and virtual care.
• $49 million to support collaborative care in communities, more equitable access to service delivery, and increased consistency of quality and safety of care.
• $30 million for new and existing mental health and Hospital in the Home beds to provide acute, hospital‑level care in a patient’s home.
• $10 million to continue operating 9 urgent care clinics to treat patients who require urgent, non‑emergency care, free of charge.
• $10 million for mental health and wellbeing care, including the statewide outreach service for young people and mental health group‑based parenting support for regional Victorians.
• $5.1 million to continue to support timely discharge for vulnerable older Victorians, reducing pressure on public health services by supporting hospital bed flow.
• $4.9 million to provide health supports at a local level, making it easier for Victorians to have access to healthcare closer to where they live.

We’re investing $284 million to open and operate local hospitals – making it easier to get free public healthcare in your community – as well as supporting and expanding emergency departments.

This includes:

• $95 million for Werribee Mercy Hospital emergency department expansion.
• $45 million to open expanded acute care capacity at Angliss Hospital.
• $19 million to open Pakenham Community Hospital.
• $7.1 million to operate the new PET scanner at Goulburn Valley Health.
• $2 million to support early transition work at the New Melton Hospital.

This funding will also support the expanded University Hospital Geelong paediatric emergency department, and community hospitals in Craigieburn, Cranbourne and Mernda.

We will continue caring for vulnerable Victorians with:

• $34 million for the continued operation of Local Public Health Units to support a strong public health protection network.
• $23 million to maintain delivery of the Home and Community Care Program for Younger People, which enables independent living for people with disability outside of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), alongside funding to continue to assist people with disability accessing allied health services within their NDIS package.
• $6.5 million for prevention of suicide, supporting people and communities impacted by suicide.
• $5 million to support the aids and equipment needs of Victorians, including those with permanent or long‑term disability, with women with disability being more likely to require assistance with mobility and daily activities related to care.
• $777,000 invested in mental health services for diverse and marginalised communities.

We’re creating cultural change by raising awareness and implementing safeguards in healthcare for people born with variations in sex characteristics, with $5.5 million to fund education, care and support for people born with variations in sex characteristics, their families and healthcare professionals.

World-class pregnancy care for the West

Maternity services

The Victorian Government is appointing a Chief Midwife, to make sure that maternity care in Victoria is world leading.

This Budget is delivering $299 million to support families, including $249 million for maternity services in Melbourne’s booming western suburbs, where there are more births than anywhere else in Victoria. These include:

• 32 new postnatal beds to support pregnancy and postnatal care for up to 3,300 more women each year.
• 9 new cots in the special care nursery, providing care for more than 300 babies each year who need extra monitoring and observation.
• 1,500 extra sonography appointments each year at Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s hospital, saving women money on private scans.
• Increasing capacity for births through collaboration across western metropolitan health services.

Helping mums and babies

• Public fertility services in Victoria have helped bring 350 babies into the world, removing costs of up to $10,000 per round of IVF as a barrier to families needing IVF and other reproductive services.
• This Budget provides $43 million to ensure Victorian families have continued access to public fertility services care at the Royal Women’s Hospital and 10 satellite sites across our state.

Early parenting

Early Parenting Centres provide practical, hands‑on help and mental health support to new parents, from birth up to age 4. From sleep to feeding, they deliver day programs and overnight help to families needing support – all for free.

This Budget invests $6.8 million to continue this important help for families at the Hastings Early Parenting Centre, one of 10 new centres across our state.

Help for kids – big or small

This Budget also invests $109 million to deliver more specialist paediatric appointments and planned surgeries for children and young people.

It’ll mean children and young people, including girls, get specialist care and treatment faster in a world‑class public health system that families can rely on.