Today, 40 health and medical organisations have called on all candidates and political parties running in the 2025 federal election to publicly affirm their support for access to abortion as part of an ongoing commitment to essential healthcare.
Despite healthcare being a major focus in this election campaign, abortion has largely been absent from the national conversation. Voters deserve to know where their candidates stand on improving access to abortion.
The imminent federal election presents an unmissable opportunity for candidates seeking the votes of Australians to clearly and publicly commit to the health and wellbeing of Australian women.
The Commonwealth holds critical levers – including the Medicare Benefits Schedule and workforce support. National leadership is required to ensure abortion is part of mainstream healthcare.
All governments must work together to ensure that all people who seek an abortion can access the care they need.
The joint statement has five key asks to strengthen access to abortion, and signatories to the statement call on all political parties and candidates to commit to ensuring affordable, accessible abortion care by:
- demonstrating national leadership to affirm abortion as essential healthcare
- ensuring the Medicare Benefits Schedule includes appropriate remuneration for healthcare providers to deliver affordable care
- supporting workforce capacity building by working with medical and professional colleges providing sexual, reproductive and maternal healthcare training
- ensuring public hospitals provide abortion care as part of standard, comprehensive reproductive health services
- working with state and territory governments to implement all 36 recommendations from the Senate Inquiry into universal access to reproductive healthcare
Australia has made important progress on reproductive rights, but that progress is not guaranteed. The rise of the global anti-rights movement is threatening reproductive rights locally. Access to abortion must be protected and prioritised as part of national health policy.
