Statutes Amendment (Free Menstrual Hygiene Products Pilot Program) Bill

Committee Stage

In committee.

Clause 1.

The Hon. I. PNEVMATIKOS: It is extremely disappointing that it is abundantly clear the government will not be supporting this bill. Independent stakeholders, teachers, students, the Commissioner for Children and Young People and organisations working in the area, such as Essentials 4 Women, Foodbank and Share the Dignity, have all been calling for more action in this area. It is incredible that, after the Hon. Connie Bonaros and I introduced this bill, the government decided at the 11^th hour that it would introduce its own trial—or pilot, as preferred by the Minister for Education.

This trial is unbeknownst to the public and certainly, until recently, unbeknownst to the commissioner and this parliament. The trial is so covert that, even when talking to the minister, he could not say which schools were going to be in this pilot. All that we were informed, after asking the minister, was that 15 category 1 and 2 schools would be involved. The schools have been left to their own devices, with some financial assistance, in terms of how they will implement a program of pads and tampons in the respective schools. It is a very ad hoc arrangement, which is one of the issues that is vital to this bill. That has been one of the problems to date. Things have been ad hoc. Things have been organised in a disorderly and disorganised fashion.

The 15 schools have been left to their own devices in terms of supplying the products and how they will distribute them. There is the possibility that in some schools there will be private NGO support and private businesses supporting these programs, and each school may devise a different program. It would be useful to know if the government has offered schools any sort of fact sheets or communication to teachers, parents or students in the school community about this pilot.

Although it is assumed that category 1 and 2 schools will benefit from the program the most, we have heard stories of instances where girls cannot access pads and tampons in schools such as Marryatville, a category 7 school. This is the highest ranking a school can have. Do you think that this pilot is a fair trial? It is not; it cannot be. With no independent body like the commissioner overseeing the trial the government is doing, we assume that the results go back to the education department. There is no transparency and there is no accountability. It is a bit like asking students to mark their own homework and make their own assessment.

The intention in drafting this bill and promulgating this bill was the desire that all parties agree on the bill. It was hoped that we could all work together to achieve a win for girls and young women in this state. When this bill was raised last year—I will reiterate this—both the Hon. Connie Bonaros and I asked to meet with the minister, and that request was ignored. We have made repeated requests for that meeting and we were only able to meet to discuss with the minister a few days ago.

The minister made the point that he does not think it is necessary to support a bill and create legislation where policy can deliver the same outcome. That is all well and good if you have good policy, but if you have policy that is ad hoc, with no systems in place, with no safeguards, with no proper and thorough consultation, you do not have good policy.

This bill provides an opportunity for all parties to work together towards achieving a good outcome for young girls and young women in this state who need the help. It becomes particularly pertinent now because we have experienced two lots of catastrophes: the bushfires and also COVID-19. There are a lot of families and family units that are experiencing considerable hardship at this point in time. If ever there was a time to work together to produce an outcome that meets the needs of vulnerable people in our community, this bill is that example.

Clause passed.

Remaining clauses (2 to 5) and title passed.

Bill reported without amendment.

Third Reading

The Hon. C. BONAROS (19:04): I move:

That this bill be now read a third time.

Bill read a third time and passed.