The Senate referred an inquiry into the universal access to reproductive healthcare to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee for inquiry and were looking for submissions in response to their terms of reference

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Submissions were sought in December 2022.

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Terms of reference below:

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Barriers to achieving priorities under the National Women’s Health Strategy for ‘universal access to sexual and reproductive health information, treatment and services that offer options to women to empower choice and control in decision-making about their bodies’, with particular reference to:

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1. cost and accessibility of contraceptives, including:

   1. PBS coverage and TGA approval processes for contraceptives,

   2. awareness and availability of long-acting reversible contraceptive and male contraceptive options, and

   3. options to improve access to contraceptives, including over the counter access, longer prescriptions, and pharmacist interventions;

2. cost and accessibility of reproductive healthcare, including pregnancy care and termination services across Australia, particularly in regional and remote areas;

3. workforce development options for increasing access to reproductive healthcare services, including GP training, credentialing and models of care led by nurses and allied health professionals;

4. best practice approaches to sexual and reproductive healthcare, including trauma-informed and culturally appropriate service delivery;

5. sexual and reproductive health literacy;

6. experiences of people with a disability accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare;

7. experiences of transgender people, non-binary people, and people with variations of sex characteristics accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare;

8. availability of reproductive health leave for employees; and

any other related matter.

Committee Secretariat contact: Committee Secretary
Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs

PO Box 6100

Parliament House

Canberra ACT 2600

Phone: +61 2 6277 3515
community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au

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The best submissions:

• clearly address some or all of the terms of reference—you do not need to address each one

• are relevant and highlight your own perspective

• are concise, generally no longer than four to five pages

• begin with a short introduction about yourself or the organisation you represent

• emphasise the key points so that they are clear

• outline not only what the issues are but how problems can be addressed, as the committee looks to submissions for ideas to make recommendations

• only include documents that directly relate to your key points

• only include information you would be happy to see published on the internet.

• https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/How_to_make_a_submission

• Submissions that include complex argument, personal details or criticise someone may take the committee longer to process and consider.

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