As a long-serving minister in the Andrews government, Natalie Hutchins has spruiked enough policies to know that not many spark impromptu rounds of applause.
But that’s exactly what happens whenever she mentions the state’s plan to roll out free pads and tampons in public places.
“When I go to schools or I’m talking at events and I mention it, there’s spontaneous clapping. It’s phenomenal. I can mention our investment in a whole range of women’s health initiatives and I don’t get the same response that I do to this,” Hutchins tells Guardian Australia.
“I think that’s because everyone has a story about being caught out, not having the product they need at the time they need it.”
At last year’s state election, Victoria’s Labor government announced the $23m plan to install 1,500 pad and tampon dispensing machines at up to 700 public sites such as courts, libraries, public hospitals and train stations.
While the announcement prompted outraged from some men on social media and scorn from conservative commentators including Sky News’ Chris Kenny it was seen as a popular policy ahead of the party’s success at the polls, particularly with women and young people.
Now, the government is taking the first steps to making it a reality, opening an expressions of interest process this week for businesses to develop the dispensing machines, install and replenish them.
Hutchins – the state’s minister for education and women – says it’s a process they have to start “from scratch”, given Victoria is the first state to roll out such a program.
“I reckon if men got periods, we would have had supply right alongside toilet paper in public places from day dot,” she says.
The government has made pads and tampons free at government schools since 2020 but this mostly consists of a box of products in the bathrooms or office. In Scotland – where pads and tampons must be made available to anyone who needs them under law – a mobile phone app helps people find the nearest place, such as the local library or community centre, where they can pick up a pack.
Hutchins anticipates the government will partner with non-profit organisations and there will be some pickup locations across the state, but says “more complex technology” will be required in high-traffic areas such as Flinders Street station.
“We’ll also need to make sure women with disabilities are able to access the products and some women of Cald [culturally and linguistically diverse] backgrounds, who may not be able to read the instructions on the machine, are able to use them,” she says.
The EOI documents state the machines must be able to dispense products with a “push of a button or via a touch screen” and should have the capacity to hold between 200 and 350 products.
The government is also seeking individually wrapped pads and tampons, and possibly packs containing eight of each. It’s not yet known how many products will be required, but since the schools program began in 2020, 6.5m pads and tampons have been distributed, including about 685,000 in term one of this year.
Hutchins says the schools program has helped reduce stigma and anxiety associated with periods, and ensures girls don’t miss school because they can’t afford pads and tampons.
With costs of living biting, she hopes the wider program will help provide practical support to all women.
“Sharing the Dignity has told us that there’s been some big demands on their organisation. They’re estimating around 22% of women are improvising on period products due to cost,” Hutchins says.
“Particularly for single mums, if they have to choose between buying food or buying a packet of pads or tampons, then food will come first and they just improvise and sometimes that is not always the healthiest option for women.”
She’s also not concerned about people exploiting the free products, arguing: “If they take them, they probably need them.”
As for the possibility of paid menstrual leave for women who have incapacitating periods, Hutchins says it’s worthy of consideration.
“I wouldn’t have thought 20 years ago, we would have a standard that we do now around family violence, which is fantastic,” she says.
“I think about those women who are really struggling with endometriosis who have used up all their leave, who have not always been able to talk about what their real illness is.”
