Contraception
Most hormonal contraceptives are subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Reforms allowing 60-day dispensing for many medicines reduced costs and pharmacy visits, and several states have authorised pharmacists to resupply oral contraception without a new prescription.
Key points
| PBS subsidy | Applies to most hormonal methods; concession card holders pay less |
|---|---|
| 60-day dispensing | Available for many contraceptives, halving the number of visits |
| Pharmacist resupply | Permitted in several states and territories |
| LARC | Implants and IUDs subsidised; Medicare rebates apply to insertion |
| Emergency contraception | Available from pharmacists without prescription |
| Minors | Mature minors can consent; services are confidential |
| Rural access | Telehealth prescribing widely used |
| Long-acting methods | Subsidised, with additional Medicare items introduced to improve access |
In practice
- Ask for a 60-day script: it is not automatic and doubles the supply for the same fee.
- Use telehealth for repeat prescriptions if the nearest practice has long waits.
Cost and coverage
PBS copayment per script, lower for concession card holders; LARC insertion may involve a gap fee.
Recent changes
Federal and state initiatives have focused on increasing uptake of long-acting methods, which have historically been lower in Australia than in comparable countries.
Where to go
- Family Planning organisations in each state.
- 1800 My Options in Victoria and equivalent services elsewhere.
- Telehealth contraception services for rural and remote areas.
Worth knowing
Ask about the gap fee before an IUD insertion: it varies enormously between public clinics, GPs and specialists for the same procedure. Concession card holders pay substantially less. If you are eligible and have not presented the card, you are paying more than you need to.
The general article: Contraception · Compare with another country
Abortion
Abortion law is a state matter. Decriminalisation proceeded state by state, ending with South Australia in 2021 and Western Australia's reform in 2023. Most jurisdictions allow abortion on request up to a gestational limit — commonly 22 to 24 weeks — with a second practitioner's involvement after that.
Key points
| On request | Up to 22 or 24 weeks depending on the state or territory |
|---|---|
| After the limit | Two practitioners must agree, considering medical, social and psychological circumstances |
| Medication abortion | Available up to 9 weeks; since 2023 any registered prescriber may prescribe mifepristone without special registration, and nurse practitioners can prescribe |
| Telehealth | Well established nationally, important for rural and remote areas |
| Safe access zones | In force in all states and territories |
| Conscientious objection | Permitted, with a duty to refer |
| Decriminalised everywhere | Western Australia completed the process in 2023, the last state to do so |
| Different limits | Each state and territory sets its own gestational threshold and later-term process |
| Prescribing widened | Since 2023 any qualified GP or nurse practitioner may prescribe medication abortion |
In practice
- Check your state's gestational limit — they differ.
- Telehealth services provide medication abortion across the country.
- Public hospitals provide surgical abortion in most states, though availability varies.
- Ask about the total cost upfront: the gap between the Medicare rebate and the fee can be significant in the private sector.
- Use a national telehealth service if local providers are scarce; medication is posted or dispensed locally.
- Check your own state's limit rather than a national figure — they differ by several weeks.
Cost and coverage
Medicare covers part of the cost; out-of-pocket amounts vary from modest in the public system to several hundred dollars privately.
Recent changes
The 2023 change allowing any prescriber to provide mifepristone removed a significant bottleneck, particularly outside the cities.
Where to go
- 1800 My Options (Victoria) and equivalent state services.
- MSI Australia and Marie Stopes services, including telehealth.
- Family Planning organisations in each state.
Worth knowing
Public provision is patchy in some states, so a referral to the public system can take longer than a private appointment. Ask about both routes at the first call. Safe access zones around clinics exist in every state, which means filming or approaching people outside a clinic is an offence.
The general article: Abortion · Compare with another country
Parents: a teenager’s first relationship
A young person assessed as mature enough to understand the treatment can consent alone, following the same principle as in the United Kingdom. Many general practices and youth health services bulk-bill, so there is no cost at the point of care. Emergency contraception is supplied by pharmacists without prescription, and in some jurisdictions pharmacists can now supply ongoing oral contraception under specific conditions.
Australia applies the same competence test as the UK, derived from the Gillick decision and adopted by the High Court. Practically, access turns on bulk billing: a clinic that bulk bills charges the young person nothing and claims from Medicare. Emergency contraception is available directly from a pharmacist without a prescription, at any age, which removes the doctor from the equation entirely.
Key points
| Rule | Competence-based consent, assessed by the clinician |
|---|---|
| Cost | Bulk-billing removes the fee at many practices and youth services |
| Emergency contraception | From pharmacists without prescription |
| Testing | Free at sexual health clinics; postal kits available in some states |
| Youth services | Dedicated headspace-type centres for young people |
| Medicare statements | Can reveal a visit to the family: ask about the confidentiality options |
| Age of consent | Sixteen in most states and territories, seventeen in some |
In practice
- Ask for a bulk-billed appointment so cost is not a barrier.
- Medicare claim history is visible to the account holder in some configurations: ask the clinic how to avoid that.
- Youth health services are designed for exactly this and are used to seeing teenagers alone.
- The age of consent differs between states, which matters if the relationship crosses a border.
Cost and coverage
Bulk-billed care is free at the point of use; medication is subsidised.
Where to go
- Sexual health clinic or bulk-billing general practice.
- Community pharmacy.
- Youth health service.
- Kids Helpline, free and confidential.
Worth knowing
The Medicare record is the practical confidentiality risk, more than the law. Clinics can advise on how a young person keeps a visit private.
Frequently asked questions
Can a pharmacist supply emergency contraception to a teenager?
Yes, without a prescription and without an age limit. The pharmacist will ask some questions in a private area to check timing and suitability. This is often the fastest route, and it does not require a parent or a doctor.
What does bulk billing mean for a young person?
That the clinic bills Medicare directly and the patient pays nothing, with no invoice that could appear at home. Not all practices bulk bill; headspace centres and youth or sexual health clinics generally do. Ask before booking.
Sources
- Kids Helpline — 1800 55 1800 — free and confidential, any hour
- headspace — youth health centres
- healthdirect — government health information
The general article: Parents: a teenager’s first relationship · Compare with another country
Sexual orientation
Marriage since 2017 after a national postal survey, and conversion practices banned state by state.
Same-sex marriage was legislated in December 2017 following a voluntary national postal survey. Federal discrimination law has covered sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status since 2013, though exemptions for religious bodies remain contested. Bans on conversion practices have been enacted by several states and territories rather than federally, with penalties that in some jurisdictions include imprisonment.
Australia legislated marriage equality in December 2017 following a voluntary postal survey in which a clear majority voted yes — a process widely criticised as unnecessary and harmful but which produced a decisive result. Conversion practices are banned state by state rather than federally, with Victoria, Queensland, the ACT and New South Wales among those legislating. Federal discrimination law covers sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status.
Key points
| Marriage | Legislated in December 2017 after the postal survey |
|---|---|
| Federal discrimination law | Covers sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status since 2013 |
| Religious exemptions | Remain in force in some contexts and are politically contested |
| Conversion practices | Banned in several states and territories, not federally |
| Blood donation | Rules progressively liberalised towards individual assessment |
| Parenthood | Both parents recognised at birth in all states for clinic-assisted conception |
| Identity documents | Requirements for amending birth certificates differ by state |
In practice
- Complaints go to the federal human rights commission or the state equivalent, free of charge.
- Check your state's conversion practices law: the definitions and penalties differ significantly.
- Youth services offer free counselling without parental involvement.
- Religious school and employment exemptions still apply in some states: take advice before acting.
Cost and coverage
Human rights complaints are free; community legal centres advise at no cost.
Recent changes
More states have legislated against conversion practices, and a review of religious exemptions in federal discrimination law has been under consideration for several years without resolution.
Where to go
- Australian Human Rights Commission and state equivalents.
- National LGBTIQ+ crisis and counselling lines.
- Community legal centres.
Worth knowing
Religious exemptions are the live issue. In some states a faith-based school or employer retains latitude that would be unlawful elsewhere, so the answer depends on where you are.
Frequently asked questions
Are conversion practices banned in Australia?
In several states and territories, not federally. Victoria, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales have legislated, with differing scope — some criminal, some civil and complaints-based. Check the law of your state; the differences are substantial.
What does federal discrimination law cover?
The Sex Discrimination Act prohibits discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status in employment, education, goods and services and accommodation. Religious bodies retain exemptions in some contexts, an issue that has been reviewed repeatedly.
The general article: Sexual orientation · Compare with another country
Drugs and controlled substances
Criminal law is state law, with diversion schemes almost everywhere and a decriminalised territory in the middle.
Drug offences are created by state and territory legislation, with the Commonwealth handling importation under the Criminal Code Act 1995. Every jurisdiction operates some form of cannabis cautioning or diversion for minor possession; the Australian Capital Territory went further and decriminalised personal possession of small quantities of several drugs in October 2023.
In the Australian Capital Territory, possession of small amounts of cannabis, and since 2023 of specified quantities of other drugs, attracts a fine or a health referral rather than a charge.
Importation is a Commonwealth offence, and a commercial quantity carries life imprisonment. Airport detection is the most common way people are caught.
Pill testing services operate at festivals in the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland, and have identified substances sold as MDMA that were something else entirely.
Driving with any detectable illicit drug is an offence in every state, with roadside saliva testing widely used.
Key points
| Criminal law | State and territory legislation; Commonwealth for importation |
|---|---|
| ACT | Personal possession of specified quantities decriminalised since October 2023 |
| Diversion | Cautioning or diversion schemes in every jurisdiction |
| Importation | Commonwealth offence; life for a commercial quantity |
| Driving | Zero tolerance, roadside saliva testing |
In practice
- The National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline, 1800 250 015, routes to the service in your state.
- Public alcohol and other drug services are free; waiting lists vary by state.
- Take-home naloxone is available free and without prescription through the Commonwealth programme.
Cost and coverage
Public treatment is free. Private residential rehabilitation costs thousands of dollars a week.
Recent changes
The Commonwealth take-home naloxone programme became permanent and free nationwide, and pill testing has expanded beyond the ACT.
Where to go
- National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline, 1800 250 015.
- State-based services: DirectLine in Victoria, ADIS in New South Wales.
- Poisons Information Centre, 13 11 26.
- Emergencies: 000.
Worth knowing
The ACT position is exceptional. Two hundred kilometres away in New South Wales the same conduct is a criminal offence, and the difference is invisible on the ground.
Frequently asked questions
Is cannabis legal in Australia?
No. It is decriminalised for personal possession in the Australian Capital Territory and subject to cautioning schemes elsewhere, but it is not legal.
Is naloxone free?
Yes, take-home naloxone is free and available without prescription through the Commonwealth programme.
The general article: Drugs and controlled substances · Compare with another country
Alcohol and tobacco
The country that invented plain packaging, with the world's highest cigarette prices and a prescription-only vape model.
Australia introduced plain packaging in 2012, the first country to do so, and has used sustained tax increases to push cigarette prices to among the highest anywhere. Since 2024 vapes are regulated as a therapeutic product: they are sold through pharmacies rather than retail, and importing them commercially is restricted. The legal age is eighteen for alcohol and tobacco.
Australia invented plain packaging in 2012 and has the highest cigarette prices in the world, driven by annual excise increases. The vaping model changed significantly in 2024: importing and selling recreational vapes was closed off, and since October 2024 adults can buy therapeutic vaping products from a pharmacy without a prescription. The unintended consequence has been a large illicit market, now the main enforcement problem.
Key points
| Legal age | 18 for both alcohol and tobacco |
|---|---|
| Plain packaging | World first, in 2012 |
| Price | Among the highest cigarette prices in the world, through sustained taxation |
| Vapes | Regulated as therapeutic goods and sold through pharmacies since 2024 |
| Illicit trade | A recognised consequence of high prices, with a growing illegal market |
| Quit services | Free national quitline with coaching and support |
| Guidance | No more than ten standard drinks a week and four on any one day |
In practice
- The national quitline is free and provides multi-session coaching, which roughly doubles success rates.
- Cessation medication is subsidised on the national medicines scheme.
- Vapes are now obtained through a pharmacy, with or without a prescription depending on the product.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander quit programmes are culturally adapted and free.
Cost and coverage
The quitline is free; cessation medication is subsidised on the national scheme.
Recent changes
The 2024 vaping reforms ended retail sale of recreational vapes and moved supply into pharmacies, with over-the-counter access for adults from October 2024. Enforcement has since focused on illicit tobacco and vape supply, a growing problem in several states.
Where to go
- Quitline, free nationally.
- Aboriginal community controlled health services.
- Pharmacies for vapes and cessation medication.
Worth knowing
High prices have created a substantial illegal tobacco market. Illegally imported products carry no quality control at all and have been linked to violent competition between suppliers.
Frequently asked questions
How do you legally buy a vape in Australia?
From a pharmacy. Since October 2024 adults can obtain therapeutic vaping products over the counter without a prescription, under eighteens still need one. Retail sale outside pharmacies is prohibited, and importing vapes for personal use is not permitted.
Why are cigarettes so expensive in Australia?
Because excise has risen well above inflation for over a decade as a deliberate policy. A packet costs several times what it does in most of Europe. Smoking rates have fallen substantially, but the price gap has also fuelled a large illicit tobacco trade.
The general article: Alcohol and tobacco · Compare with another country
General sources
- Federal Register of Legislation — Commonwealth law as made and in force
- Services Australia — government services and payments