Thursday, 14 November 2024

Northern Victoria Region

Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (12:46): My question is for the Minister for Health. Abortion rights across the world are under attack. Despite decriminalising abortion in 2008, Victoria has not made much progress in terms of accessibility, and services have only become more expensive. Prices for private surgical abortion have doubled since I accessed abortion in my 20s. This is particularly true for regional areas, with my electorate of Northern Victoria being home to a number of abortion deserts where no services are being offered at all. My home in Kyneton is in one of the less remote parts of the electorate, yet a simple search on 1800 My Options with a willing to travel distance of 70 kilometres shows just two providers, with one only being a referral service. Can the minister advise me of the number of abortion providers in Northern Victoria and, importantly, how the government plans to address this reproductive health care crisis?