Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has put her own story at the centre of a major shift in how the state’s health system treats women’s pain, describing years of personal struggle before finding a diagnosis for endometriosis. “There’s a kind of pain too many women and girls learn to live with,” she said. “The kind we’re told is ‘normal’. Heavy periods. Crippling cramps. Pushing through it—because that’s what we’re taught to do. I know—because I’ve lived it.”
Speaking as the state released the final Bridging the Gender Pain Gap report, Ms Allan said the inquiry had confirmed what many women already knew—that their pain is real, and too often dismissed. “Back then, it didn’t feel like something you could talk about. Until one day, a friend shared her story—and I finally had a name for mine: endometriosis. I was lucky enough to find doctors who listened. But too many women aren’t,” she said.
That sentiment was echoed across 13,000 submissions to the inquiry from women and girls aged between 12 and 79, along with carers, clinicians and community organisations. The report reveals that 90 per cent of respondents experienced pain lasting more than a year, 54 per cent live with daily pain, and 89 per cent said their mental health had been affected. The most common conditions were menstrual and hormonal (40 per cent), endometriosis (26 per cent) and musculoskeletal pain (26 per cent). Nearly three quarters said they had been dismissed by healthcare professionals, and more than two thirds cited cost as a barrier to care.
Ms Allan said those experiences demanded action. “It’s why we launched Victoria’s first Inquiry into Women’s Pain,” she said. “Thirteen thousand women and girls told us their stories—that their pain is real, and they just weren’t believed. We’re changing that.”
The government’s response includes setting a new Women’s Pain Standard across public hospitals and health services, ensuring consistent care and respect for women seeking treatment. “Every woman, in every public hospital and health service, should get the care and respect they deserve,” Ms Allan said.
It will also expand access to pain relief for IUD insertions using the “green whistle” inhaler-style device Penthrox, allowing women control over pain management during the procedure. “Making pain relief available for IUD insertions at every sexual and reproductive health hub is a simple but powerful change,” Ms Allan said. “Because women’s pain isn’t invisible—it’s just been ignored, and that ends now.”
A new clinic for adolescents at the Royal Children’s Hospital will also be established by 2026, providing targeted care for young people up to 18 experiencing pelvic pain and reproductive health conditions such as endometriosis. “The RCH clinic is going to be life changing—because when young girls face delays in diagnosis and treatment, it can affect them permanently,” Ms Allan said.
Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas praised the thousands who took part. “I want to thank the 13,000 Victorian women who’ve made this possible—it’s because of you that we’ll be able to create generational change to our health system,” she said. “The Women’s Pain Standard and the green whistle trial will be gamechangers for Victorian women—but our work doesn’t stop here.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Women’s Health Kat Theophanous added that the findings confirmed what women had long known. “This report makes clear what women have known for generations—our pain is too often dismissed as normal. We’re taking action to change that, expanding access to pain relief and giving women a voice in their healthcare.”
Observers say the inquiry represents one of the clearest acknowledgements yet of gender bias in pain treatment in Australia. While its success will depend on how quickly standards are applied and monitored, the government’s commitment signals a cultural turning point.
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