Labor accused of playing politics with women’s healthcare after pledging to make abortion care free

Labor has been accused of playing politics with women’s healthcare after pledging to make abortion care free, as other political parties criticise the timing of the announcement.

The Victorian government on Thursday promised to invest $30 million over four years to remove the out-of-pocket cost of abortion care if it’s re-elected in November.

The move is designed to resolve a so-called “postcode lottery”, according to Health Minister Ingrid Stitt.

Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell said the policy had her full support, although it had come four years too late.

“We would have provided the numbers in parliament and in fact we asked them to do this many times and they didn’t,” she told ABC Radio.

“I do think they’re playing politics with women’s healthcare, which is sad.

“Women getting access to lifesaving healthcare should be above politics.”

The move comes as Labor continues to trail the coalition in the polls, with its primary vote remaining steady at 25 per cent, according to the latest Resolve Political Monitor, conducted in October and published by Nine newspapers.

Primary support for the coalition pushed up one point to 28 per cent and One Nation was steady at 23 per cent, with the Greens on 15 and independents on nine.

Labor defended the move, dodging questions the announcement was politically-charged.

“We are not playing politics with this at all,” Ms Stitt.

“It’s not playing politics to strengthen women’s access to free choice to the election campaign.

“The question here is what will Jess Wilson’s response be? Women have a right know.”

Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson in September vowed laws providing legal access to terminations at any stage of pregnancy would not be changed by a coalition government.

“Abortion law will not change under a Liberal and Nationals government. Full stop,” she told The Sunday Age.

“Anyone that claims otherwise is simply wrong.”

One Nation’s website says it would “reduce the gestational limit for abortions”.

Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell welcomed the policy, saying she was grateful Labor finally acted, but echoed the Greens’ sentiment on its timing.

“Our bodies should not be on the ballot at all,” she said.

“The abortion accessibility crisis was not created by One Nation putting the entire right at risk. It was created by years of political inaction.”

Under Labor’s proposal, participating private providers would be paid to deliver medical and surgical abortion care when gestation is under 16 weeks.

The government says the plan will save women more than $1000, with no GP or specialist consultation fees and no medication costs at participating providers.

There are “abortion deserts” in regional parts of the state, with many women facing “postcode lottery”, with services not easily accessible, the government said.

Eligibility of the Victorian Patient Travel Assistance Scheme is also set to be expanded to cover care delivered by rural generalists who specialise in anaesthesia and obstetrics.

Labor will also regulate care across the state and extend the window for medical abortion to 10 weeks’ gestation.

Safer Care Victoria will lead a clinical review into extending access to abortion up to 12 weeks’ gestation, within the World Health Organisation’s guidance.

The biggest barriers for women trying to access an abortion is cost, advocates said.

“Every week, women ring us and ask if they can book in after their next pay,” MSI Australia chief executive Adurty Rao said.