Women's Health in the South East (WHISE) welcomes Victoria's expanded access to oral contraceptives through pharmacies as a meaningful step forward for women's reproductive autonomy and health equity. These reforms directly reduce the barriers that too many women and people assigned female at birth face in maintaining consistent, effective contraception.
Access to contraception when and where people need it saves lives, prevents unintended pregnancies, and affirms the right of every person to make informed decisions about their own body and future. Pharmacy access builds on Victoria's broader momentum — including expanded public access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) through hospitals and community health services, and improved pathways to medical abortion care — and aligns with global evidence on the benefits of over-the-counter oral contraceptive provision.
“This reform is good news for Victorian women,” said WHISE CEO Kit McMahon.
“When people can access contraception conveniently and consistently, we see better health outcomes across the board. That’s worth celebrating — and worth building on.”
Pharmacists are trusted, skilled healthcare professionals who play a vital and growing role in community health. As recognised by the SPHERE NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health in Primary Care, pharmacists can meaningfully improve continuity of contraceptive access — particularly for people who already have an established prescription and relationship with a GP or nurse practitioner.
WHISE emphasises that GPs and nurse practitioners remain central to the initiation of contraceptive care. The first prescription, and ongoing clinical review, should involve a qualified prescriber who can provide comprehensive assessment, counselling, and access to the full range of contraceptive options — including highly effective LARC methods. Pharmacy supply works best as a complement to this relationship, not a replacement for it.
Making access real: the affordability imperative
For these reforms to deliver on their promise, affordability must be front and centre. WHISE is calling for pharmacy-supplied contraceptives to be covered under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, ensuring that expanded access does not become the preserve of those who can afford to pay.
Expanding access needs to be done with an equity lens, and be affordable.
“Every person — regardless of income, location or circumstance — deserves to choose a contraceptive method that suits their health needs and life. That requires policy that puts health equity, not commercial interests, first,” said McMahon.
A stronger system: investing in primary care alongside pharmacy access
Pharmacy access works best as part of a strong, well-resourced healthcare system. Victoria’s GPs and nurse practitioners are the cornerstone of comprehensive reproductive healthcare — the clinicians best placed to initiate contraceptive care, conduct health assessments, provide counselling, and ensure people can access highly effective LARC methods such as implants and intrauterine devices, which remain significantly underutilised in Australia. Community health services and sexual health clinics play an equally vital role, particularly for people facing structural barriers to GP access.
WHISE is calling for significant new investment in primary care and sexual and reproductive health services — including protected bulk billing for reproductive healthcare — so that expanded pharmacy access complements, rather than substitutes for, the full range of care people deserve.
“Primary care is where people get the whole picture — counselling, screening, LARC, and holistic reproductive health support,” McMahon noted.
“A well-funded, accessible primary care system is not optional. It’s foundational.”
WHISE calls on government to seize this moment: invest boldly in the full ecosystem of reproductive healthcare, ensure pharmacy contraceptive access is affordable for all, and support every healthcare practitioner to work to their full scope of practice with appropriate training and clear referral pathways.
When pharmacy access, primary care, public health services and equitable pricing work together, every Victorian woman and person assigned female at birth can access the contraceptive care they need, when they need it.
Media Contact
Women's Health in the South East (WHISE)
Doseda Hetherington
About us:
ABOUT WHISE
WHISE is a leading health promotion and primary prevention organisation dedicated to improving women's health and wellbeing in the Southern Metropolitan Region of Melbourne. WHISE forms part of a network of Women’s Health Services across Victoria. Working in partnership with various stakeholders, WHISE advocates for gender equity, conducts research, delivers health promotion initiatives, and provides capacity-sharing support to enhance the delivery of women's health services. For more information, visit www.whise.org.au
Contact details:
WHISE Communications Lead: Doseda Hetherington 0412 317 334.
