Every woman has a story about gender bias in the health system. For too long, women and girls have faced barriers to accessing appropriate health care, from being told that their pain during IUD insertion 'isn't that bad', waiting years for a diagnosis of endometriosis, paying hundreds of dollars a year for their chosen contraception, to not being able to access hormone replacement therapy. That's why Labor is delivering an historic boost of over half a billion dollars to women's health. This will deliver more choice, lower costs and better health care for millions of Australian women, including tens of thousands of women in Newcastle. This package is a result of a chorus of voices from across Australia. Women have been telling us that they have needed more from the health and medical system. This is not a new story, but we finally have a government that is listening.
The response to this half a billion dollar package for women's health measures has been literally overwhelming. All of the peak medical bodies, including the RACGP, the AMA and all of the nursing colleges, as well as all of the other professional health bodies, have praised this package as an absolute game changer. But it's not just the health professionals that recognise this; it's women. We have been hearing from the women of Australia. They have been rejoicing that, finally, someone is listening to them about their pelvic pain, menopause symptoms and experiences with contraception. Someone is listening to our concern that to be a woman in Australia means we pay thousands of dollars more on our health over our lifetime.
The Albanese Labor government certainly are listening, and we're doing all of this because, of course, we are Australia's first majority women government. When you have a majority women government, the conversation changes. We can see that not only in women's health but also in every piece of legislation we have created. We see it in Australia's first legislation of wage increases for female dominated industries like aged care and early childhood education; access to paid parental leave and ensuring superannuation is paid on that paid parental leave; investments in women's safety; supporting women's sports; and securing more safe housing for women. A majority women government means that every single piece of legislation has a gender lens run over it, and we no longer have those ridiculous conversations in our party room about trying to establish the value of ensuring equity in Australia. In all of those areas, we've got fantastic female ministers, as well as the fabulous women MPs and senators in the caucus room, advocating consistently for policies that ensure women get a fair crack at opportunity in this country.
The women's health package is part of a much broader agenda from the Albanese Labor government. It will ensure that women get a fair opportunity and are treated equally in Australia. We've made big steps in the last two years, but there is, of course, always more to do. We know that women face dual gender biases in health care and society. Women face almost sole responsibility for family planning in this nation, physically and financially. That's why we've introduced this package to take unfair financial pressure off women and provide them with more choice.
After more than 30 years, we finally have a new contraceptive pill listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. I have to say—I'm sure this is a shock to Australian men—women have been more than patient about this. I think patience has absolutely run out. Thirty years is more than enough time to finally get some new-generation contraception onto the PBS. So it's great that's going to happen. Currently, one in three women aged 18 to 39 who use the combined oral contraceptive pill are paying for a non-PBS listed pill, which costs them hundreds of dollars more each and every year. From 1 March, in just a couple of weeks time, some of the most commonly used contraceptive pills, like Yaz and Yasmin, will be listed on the PBS after the Minister for Health and Aged Care asked the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee to finally put some deep thinking into how we might extend PBS benefits to this newer generation of oral contraceptives and the menopause hormone therapies. The listing of these pills is expected to benefit around 50,000 women each year who would otherwise have paid $380 a year and will now pay $126.40 a year, or just $30 a year if they're on a concession card.
Work is underway to progress the listing of other contraceptive pills, so stay tuned. But Australian women have got some of the lowest uptake of long-term contraceptives, like IUDs, and only one in 10 Australian women use a long-term contraceptive. That is compared to one in eight women in—our closest neighbours—New Zealand, one in seven in Ireland and one in three in Sweden. So we've got some work to do there. The government will be boosting Medicare payments to doctors and nurse practitioners to provide bulk-billed insertion and removal of IUDs and implants, and Medicare rebates will increase by up to 150 per cent, with around 300,000 women each year expected to save up to $400 in out-of-pocket costs.
IUDs and birth-control implants provide health benefits that extend way beyond contraception—I think that's kind of important to note—including the management of really heavy menstrual bleeding, painful periods and endometriosis, as well as perimenopause and menopause. We've known they're not for everyone, but every woman should absolutely have the choice and be able to access them if she chooses. An investment of $25.1 million will establish eight centres of training of excellence to ensure healthcare professionals are trained, skilled and confident in recommending and inserting IUDs. One in five Australian women will have menopause symptoms severe enough to interfere with their daily lives. I know a number of my colleagues have spoken about either themselves or women that they've known who've had the extreme end of having to give up work. That is shocking for our economic productivity as a nation, not to mention the extreme impacts that that has on women, forced out of the workforce way too early.
The government will also provide funding for health professionals to undertake additional training in menopause and perimenopause and develop the first ever national clinical guidelines. That's an important step. After more than 20 years, three new menopausal hormone therapies will be listed on the PBS. Again, from 1 March, EstroGel and a number of others now will go onto the PBS listing to help secure supply and end that shortage of these really important treatments. Around 150,000 women each year are expected to benefit, who otherwise might pay between $400 and $670 a year. They will start seeing a maximum of $31.60 a month, or only $7.70 if they're on a concession card. Women on these therapies look like they will be saving $290-odd. But it's much more than the financial gain. It's going to give women a whole new level of confidence and wellbeing, and that's what is especially important.
I just want to end in the brief time that I have left by saying that this historic boost to women's health will deliver that important matter of choice, help lower costs and make health care for women a much more affordable option. I am very very proud to be part of the government moving this. I am very proud to be hosting the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Ged Kearney, who will be conducting a women's health forum in Newcastle on Thursday 20 February. I invite all Novocastrian women to join us on this important historical moment.
