Starting this Friday, women in NSW will have improved access to the oral contraceptive pill thanks to a reform from the Minns Labor Government.
The new reform enables community pharmacists to directly prescribe and supply the oral contraceptive pill to low-risk women between the ages of 18 and 39.
From Friday, there are 30 eligible pharmacists who have met approved training requirements to be able to prescribe the pill, with numbers expected to grow significantly as more pharmacists complete training over the coming months.
To boost the number of eligible pharmacists, the Minns Government is today announcing a new partnership with Family Planning Australia to develop a stand-alone training course.
This course will be subsidised by the Minns Government for 100 rural and remote pharmacists, and pharmacists in under-serviced metro areas, including time taken from their working days to attend clinics.
The course will be up and running in October 2026, and take eligible applicants around two weeks to complete.
This will give women faster access to care while reducing pressure on GPs.
The initial tranche of pharmacists available to prescribe the pill are across metro and regional NSW, including Western Sydney, the Hunter, northern NSW, the Mid North Coast, the Northern Rivers, and the Central West.
More pharmacists are expected to come online as they complete training, with around 250 expected by the end of the year.
As part of this reform, the Minns Government will cover the cost of the first 5,000 consultations for women an with participating pharmacists across the state.
Patients will still need to pay for their medicines which may cost around $15-$60.
Already across NSW there are more than 700 pharmacies with a pharmacist who is qualified to renew the oral contraceptive pill.
This is one part of a suite of reforms by the Minns Labor Government to make healthcare more accessible and affordable for people and families including:
- Allowing GPs to diagnose ADHD and provide ongoing treatment
- Expanding the treatment services available in pharmacy including for uncomplicated UTIs and common skin conditions.
Quotes attributable to Premier Chris Minns:
"These are common sense changes, which make it easy for women to access essential medication without needing to visit a GP.
"These changes are a long overdue reform for our healthcare system, which will make it quicker and cheaper to access the pill."
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Ryan Park:
"For many women, the contraceptive pill is essential health care. Getting access to this care shouldn't cost them huge amounts of time and money.
"These reforms are about bringing down barriers and improving access to care for women right across NSW, saving them time and money and making life just a little bit easier.
"The 30 pharmacists who will be able to start prescribing from Friday are just the beginning, as we begin to roll out more training to make this care even more accessible."
Quotes attributable to Minister for Youth Rose Jackson:
"We've listened to women, and they've told us clearly - expanding access to the oral contraceptive pill is going to make a real difference to their daily lives.
"Women are juggling a lot, careers, study, family, and everything in between and finding time to book a GP appointment just to get a routine prescription is one obstacle too many. It simply shouldn't be that hard.
"This is a practical, common-sense reform that saves women time and money, empowering them manage their reproductive health without unnecessary barriers standing in the way."
Quotes attributable to Minister for Women Jodie Harrison:
"Making oral contraceptive pills available through community pharmacists is a real win for the busy women of New South Wales.
"Our government is focused on improving women's health outcomes and these changes are one of the practical ways we can make a difference."
Quotes attributable to Catherine Bronger, Vice-President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, NSW Branch:
"This is a step forward in recognising the role highly trained pharmacists can play in Australia's healthcare system, delivering safe healthcare for women.
"Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare professionals in the system, this reform simply makes better use of that."
