Victoria to become first state to make abortions free as Coalition matches Labor election promise

Victoria will become the first state in Australia to make access to abortion care free, no matter who wins the November election, with the Coalition matching Labor’s promise just hours after it was announced as it attempts to neutralise the issue.

The opposition leader, Jess Wilson, on Thursday afternoon told Guardian Australia a Liberal National Coalition government would match Labor’s commitment to cover out-of-pocket costs for abortion care up to 16 weeks’ gestation. This would include GP and specialist consultations, scans, tests or medication, which can quickly add up to more than $1,000.

The commitment means Victoria will become the first state in Australia to offer free universal access to abortion services, following the Australian Capital Territory which began covering out-of-pocket costs in 2023.

The Coalition would also expand the Victorian patient transport assistance scheme so that women in regional Victoria who must travel long distances for abortion care would also be eligible for subsidised travel and accommodation.

“The Liberals and Nationals will not allow Labor to play politics on this issue,” Wilson said.

“Labor has had 12 years to improve access to healthcare but are instead choosing to play politics.”

However, the Victorian opposition would not match Labor’s commitment to extend access to medical abortion from nine to 10 weeks’ gestation or its plan to commission a clinical review into whether it could safely be offered at up to 12 weeks’ gestation.

Currently, medical abortion is subsidised through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for use up to nine weeks but the World Health Organization’s guidance allows for up to 12.

“Only Labor will protect a woman’s right to choose,” Labor’s health minister, Ingrid Stitt, said when she announced the election commitment on Thursday morning.

Stitt’s statement suggested that One Nation could use abortion as a negotiating chip with the Coalition in the event of a hung parliament. It read: “Polling shows the Liberals and One Nation can only form a government together. And One Nation wants to make abortion a criminal offence.”

However, Wilson on Thursday again ruled out changes to abortion laws under a Coalition government.

“Victorians know where I stand on this issue. There will be no changes to abortion laws under a government I lead. Full stop. And I think it’s incredibly disappointing to see Labor playing politics with women’s reproductive rights five minutes before an election,” she said.

Wilson has previously described abortion as a personal decision that should be made by women in consultation with healthcare professionals.

The premier, Ben Carroll, earlier on Thursday said Labor “decriminalised abortion and we will stand up for it” as he warned that One Nation posed a threat.

“Let’s be very clear: you’ve seen the leader of One Nation very clearly say that he wants to roll back access to abortion. He wants to rob women of their right to choose their own future,” Carroll told reporters.

Abortion was decriminalised in Victoria in 2008, with women able to obtain a termination during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, and later if they obtain the agreement of two doctors.