The legal framework
Australia is further along than almost anywhere: it vaccinated girls from 2007 and boys from 2013, moved to a single dose in 2023, and replaced the two-yearly Pap test with a five-yearly HPV test in 2017. Since 2022 anyone eligible for screening can choose to collect their own sample. The country is projected to be among the first to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem.
Australia was the first country to introduce a national HPV programme and has come closest to eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem: free school vaccination for girls from 2007 and boys from 2013, and a screening programme that moved from two-yearly Pap smears to five-yearly HPV testing in 2017, with self-collection now available to everyone.
Key points
| School programme | Free; girls since 2007, boys since 2013 |
|---|---|
| Doses | A single dose since 2023 |
| Screening | HPV test every five years from 25 to 74 |
| Self-collection | Available to everyone eligible since 2022 |
| Register | A national register sends invitations and reminders |
| Elimination | Projected among the first countries to eliminate cervical cancer |
| Cost | Vaccination is free; screening is covered by Medicare |
In practice
- Ask for self-collection if the examination is what has kept you away: it is available to everyone eligible.
- Check the national register if you are unsure when your next screen is due.
- Catch-up vaccination is available through the school programme and general practice.
- Vaccination does not replace screening.
Cost and coverage
Vaccination is free through the national programme; screening is covered by Medicare.
Where to go
- School immunisation programmes and general practices.
- National Cervical Screening Program and its register.
- Aboriginal community controlled health services.
Worth knowing
Self-collection is as accurate as a clinician-taken sample for HPV testing. It exists precisely to remove the barrier that keeps many people away from screening entirely.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take your own screening sample in Australia?
Yes. Self-collection of a vaginal sample for HPV testing is available to everyone eligible for screening, taken in a private space at a clinic. It performs as well as a clinician-collected sample for HPV detection and was introduced specifically to reach people who avoid the speculum examination.
Why vaccinate boys as well as girls?
Because HPV causes cancers of the penis, anus and throat as well as the cervix, and genital warts in both sexes — and because high coverage in both sexes cuts transmission for everyone far faster than vaccinating girls alone. Programmes that include boys reach population-level protection years earlier, which is why almost every country that started with girls has since extended it.
Official sources and links
- healthdirect — government health information and service finder
- ASHM — national clinical guidance on HIV and STIs
- Federal Register of Legislation — Commonwealth law as made and in force
- Services Australia — government services and payments