'Scary' task removed with free period products in all ACT public schools
All ACT public school students will now be able to access free pads and tampons from bathroom dispensers without having to ask, as part of an initiative aiming to end period poverty.
The ACT government has announced free period products will now be available in all public schools without the need to ask. The program, inspired by students at Canberra High School, began in 2021 and has since expanded to include every school in the territory. This initiative aims to tackle period poverty by making menstrual products readily accessible in bathrooms.
Students like Emily Duffy and Flick Hearne have praised the dispensers for providing a safe and non-threatening way to access period products, eliminating the need for awkward conversations or embarrassment. The program has also been successful in reducing the number of students missing school due to period poverty. Despite this progress, the program's executive teacher, Laura Gibbs, notes that period education in ACT public schools remains inadequate and calls for more comprehensive education about menstruation to normalize the experience.
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