Victorian women's sexual and reproductive health plan 2022–30

The women's sexual and reproductive health plan aims to strengthen the sexual and reproductive health of Victorian women, girls and gender diverse people.

It focuses on key issues across the life course such as menstrual health, contraception, abortion and assisted reproductive treatment.

This plan is one of seven plans in the Victorian sexual and reproductive health and viral hepatitis strategy 2022–30.

Our visions

Victorian women, girls and gender diverse people are supported to achieve optimal sexual and reproductive health.

The Victorian sexual and reproductive health system is a world leader in gendered practice.

Goals

• Systems support individuals and communities to enjoy positive sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing.
• Victorians women, girls and gender diverse people have access to information and are empowered to make decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.
• Victorian women, girls and gender diverse people are supported to access high-quality, safe and respectful sexual and reproductive health services that are free from stigma, racism and discrimination.
• The Victorian workforce has the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to deliver best practice sexual and reproductive health testing, treatment and care for women, girls and gender diverse people.

Monitoring and measuring progress

We will develop an indicators and monitoring framework in collaboration with key research partners and affected communities. A mid-point review in 2025-26 will assess progress against the plan. Findings will be used to refresh and refocus priority actions and activities in this plan

Achievements since 2017

1800 My Options is a statewide contraception, pregnancy options and sexual health phone and web-based information service. Incorporating a geo-mapped database of more than 400 health service providers, the service’s woman-centred approach and strong partnerships with the sexual and reproductive health sector ensures callers can access high-quality information and services when and where they need them.

Since 2017, 11 new women’s sexual and reproductive health hubs progressively have been established in community health services across Victoria. The hubs provide local leadership and a range of sexual and reproductive health services for Victorian women. There are four metropolitan and seven regional hubs.

The Sexual and Reproductive Health Clinical Champions Project is a statewide program building workforce capability and system capacity to improve access to abortion and contraception services that are safe, evidence-based and timely. It has successfully provided clinical leadership, expertise and mentoring activities to providers of medical and surgical abortion and long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) in practice settings including the sexual and reproductive health hubs, primary care and publicly funded health services.

2030 complimentary targets

• Eliminate congenital syphilis.
• Eliminate mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B.
• Achieve and maintain HPV adolescent vaccination coverage of 80 per cent.
• Achieve and maintain childhood hepatitis B vaccination coverage of 95 per cent at birth, 12 and 24 months.
• Achieve and maintain 100 per cent uptake of HBIg and hepatitis B birth dose vaccine for all infants born to women with chronic hepatitis B, and access to antiviral therapy in the third trimester of pregnancy for women with high hepatitis B viral load.
• Increase STI testing coverage in priority populations (compared with 2019).
• Reduce the prevalence of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and infectious syphilis (compared with 2019).
• Reduce the reported experiences of stigma, racism and discrimination for people living with or affected by hepatitis B or STI in health and social support settings to less than 10 per cent.