Budget Falls Short of Recognising Women’s Health as a Cost-of-Living Issue

Portrait of young female patient seated on clinic chair wearing hospital gown

Budget Falls Short of Recognising Women’s Health as a Cost-of-Living Issue

Wednesday 13 May 2026

[13 May 2026, Melbourne] Last night, the Australian Government handed down the 2026–27 Federal Budget. While heavily focused on cost-of-living relief, housing affordability, fuel security and broader health investment, this year’s Budget delivers only limited new targeted investment in women’s health.

What’s in the Budget for Women’s Health?

Measures with positive implications include:

Expanding access to Keytruda®, a treatment for cervical cancer, through subsidy on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Continued implementation of reforms from the Government’s landmark $792.9 million women’s health package announced in the 2025–26 Budget, including expanded access to long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), menopause supports and endometriosis initiatives.
Ongoing work toward universal perinatal mental health screening.
$44.4 million for Birthing on Country, supporting culturally safe maternal healthcare for approximately 1,100 First Nations mothers.
$18.9 million to expand culturally safe crisis support through 13YARN.
$25 billion in additional public hospital funding under the renewed National Health Reform Agreement.
Continued investment through the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children.

While these promises are welcome, the Budget stops short of delivering a new dedicated women’s health package or recognising women’s healthcare as a significant and ongoing cost-of-living issue. Whilst it’s heartening to see the demonstrated impact of investment from the 2025–26 Budget, the work is far from over.

Women continue to shoulder disproportionately high out-of-pocket costs associated with sexual reproductive health, fertility treatment, maternity care, consultations, procedures, medications, and the ongoing management of chronic conditions such as endometriosis, PCOS and menopause. These costs are compounded by gender-bias in Medicare funding, and private health insurance.

What the College called for

At the end of 2025, the College made a pre-budget submission identifying several priority areas requiring urgent investment to improve access, affordability and health outcomes for women. This included:

Expansion of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Education and ŷ��AV (OGET) Program which supports access to care for women and skills maintenance for clinicians working in rural, regional, and remote communities.
Developing and delivering a multidisciplinary birth trauma education program to empower healthcare practitioners and support reduction of birth trauma incidences for women and their families.
Developing and delivering a training program for general practitioner obstetricians (GPOs) to improve access to sexual reproductive health care and reduce workforce pressures.
Allocation of funding to undertake a comprehensive gendered review of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS), assessing how current items, structures, and rebate levels impact women, girls, and gender-diverse people – with particular attention to areas where gender bias, under-valuation of care, and gaps in service access exist.
Funding ongoing updates to the College’s Australian Living Evidence Guideline: Endometriosis to ensure recommendations continue to reflect the latest research and innovation.

Whilst the government didn’t fund the proposals in the College’s pre-budget submission, it has committed a $7.45 million package to support the development of clinical resources and initiatives aimed at improving care for women living with endometriosis and persistent pelvic pain. This funding – pledged in April off the back of separate advocacy from ŷ��AV – will support specialist and primary care capability enhancement, among other services and initiatives.

Specifically, it will enable ŷ��AV, together with RACGP, to make improvements to clinical guidance and develop care standards for persistent pelvic pain and endometriosis, as well as provide education and training for specialists, GPs, and other health providers included in multidisciplinary care.

What’s missing?

ŷ��AV President, Dr Nisha Khot, welcomed the Government’s continued investment in selected women’s health initiatives, including those for endometriosis, persistent pelvic pain and culturally safe maternity care, but said funding overlooks the true breadth of disparities across women’s health care, research, systems, funding, and policies.

We cannot ignore the ongoing disadvantages women face in accessing essential medications, diagnoses, treatments, services, and equitable outcomes, alongside the growing financial burden associated with managing their health. Without sustained investment across the broader spectrum of women’s health, the government risks perpetuating longstanding gaps that disproportionately impact women across Australia.

– ŷ��AV President, Dr Nisha Khot

New funding for other critical areas of women’s health remains limited, despite women representing more than half of Australia’s population and carrying a disproportionate burden of healthcare expenditure.

This underinvestment is felt particularly acutely by women living in rural, regional and remote Australia who continue to face significant barriers to accessing obstetric and gynaecological care, including long travel distances, higher out-of-pocket costs associated with travel and accommodation, and reduced service availability. Initiatives that address this burden and support retention of a skilled, and connected regional, rural and remote O&G workforce – such as the OGET Project – are critical to ensuring women can access essential care closer to home, regardless of postcode.

The absence of dedicated funding for initiatives aimed at reducing experiences of birth trauma – including a national multidisciplinary birth trauma education program – is another missed opportunity in this year’s budget. Birth trauma remains a prevailing issue with lasting physical, psychological (and subsequently economic) consequences for women, while clinicians report inconsistent access to education and resources which support them in confidently delivering trauma-informed care. Investment in education programs for obstetricians, midwives, GPs and other allied health professionals involved in providing maternity care would strengthen prevention, early identification, and management of birth trauma, improving patient experiences across maternity services.

The College is also concerned by the government’s lack of commitment to address the ongoing sustainability of private obstetrics and gynaecology services, which remain a critical component of Australia’s broader healthcare system. Relentlessly rising operational costs and inadequate remuneration via private health insurers and the MBS continue to place considerable strain on private practitioners, threatening service viability and ultimately removing women’s choice and autonomy when facilities are forced to close. Without meaningful policy reform and funding support, there is a real risk that further contraction in private O&G services will increase pressure on already overstretched public hospitals and reduce choice and access for women across the country. The impact is further exacerbated in regional, rural and remote areas.

The 2026–2027 Federal Budget ultimately falls short of recognising women’s health as both a health priority and a core cost-of-living issue.

Health – and disproportionately women’s health – remains a major driver of financial pressure for many Australian households. Rising out-of-pocket costs for consultations, procedures, medications, fertility care, pregnancy and maternity care, and management of chronic gynaecological conditions continue to place disproportionate strain on women at every life stage.

The consequences extend beyond individual health outcomes, impacting workforce participation, wellbeing, autonomy, productivity and broader economic security. A genuine cost-of-living response must therefore include sustained investment in accessible, affordable and equitable women’s healthcare.

ŷ��AV will continue to advocate for funding and system reform that positions women’s health as a national priority, integral to Australia’s health system, economy, and broader social wellbeing.