Written by Kirsty Davis
Produced for online by Beatriz Alonso Montalvo

Tampons and pads are considered a luxury item by the Federal government. Dozens of websites such as the Period Project are campaigning against the tax.

Melbourne Homeless Collective founder and director, Donna Stolzenberg oversees the operations of Melbourne Period Project. She says this tax has to be abolished.

“We just need to concentrate on what’s happening now and get rid of this tax, get it gone.”

Australian women are paying over $300 million a year on sanitary products with $30 million of it going towards GST.

But Ms Stolzenberg says more appear to be angrier about condoms and Viagra being tax free.

“I think it was focusing on the fact that there is GST on tampons and no GST on condoms and Viagra. That’s really still detracting from the focus that should be on there is a tax on tampons and it should not be there.”

With more women taking a stand against the tax, Share the Dignity founder Rochelle Courtenay created her website in support.

“Tax on tampons fall under under the Therapeutic Goods Association that are actually deemed medical. So most things that are deemed medical are not tax a GST. So, actually, taxing those items that we actually need every single month anyway it’s not only wrong but it’s immoral.”

While the Liberal/National coalition does not appear to be changing its position of the matter, Ms Courtenay thinks if more Australian women spoke out, it could make them re-think their stance.

“I would hope that Liberals have seen what Labor and Greens have supported and that they also believe that taxing a sanitary item is wrong and that they changing their stands on this would be fixing a right.”