Free period products made available in all ACT public schools

Students in all Australian Capital Territory (ACT) public schools will now have access to free period products readily available in bathrooms, eliminating the need to ask for them. This initiative, driven by advocacy from Canberra students, aims to eradicate period poverty across the territory.

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They've always been there for me in my time at high school, but [before] you'd have to go to the front office, or you could ask a friend. And obviously for some people it's very awkward and scary, a bit daunting maybe. [So] it's really good to just have those and not need to ask anyone.

Pads and tampons are now provided through dispensers in the restrooms of all public primary schools, high schools, and colleges. The program originated from a proposal by a group of Canberra High School students at an International Women's Day conference in 2021. A subsequent pilot at the school informed a report to the education minister on the benefits of accessible menstrual products for students.

Last year, the ACT government expanded the program to over 30 schools, and it has now been implemented in every public school within the territory. A key feature of the initiative is the ease of access; students can obtain products discreetly and without potential embarrassment.

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definitely made it a lot less awkward for students to access free menstrual products when they need them. My friends have all said good things about it. I haven't actually heard a negative thing about it at all.

Year 9 student Emily Duffy described the dispensers as a "really good safety net," noting that previously, students had to ask front office staff or friends, which could be "awkward and scary." Fellow student Flick Hearne agreed that the dispensers have made accessing products "a lot less awkward." Teachers involved in the program have observed that students often take products home for family members, indicating a broader impact on household access. The program has also been linked to a reduction in students missing school days due to their periods.

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A lot of them are also taking them home because they don't have access at home, or they're taking them home for parents, for friends, for other family members.