Treasurer Joe Hockey Will Lobby States To Drop The GST On Sanitary Products

Policy might have actually been altered thanks to a question on ABC’s Q&A last night. Advance Australia Fair indeed!

University student/local hero/Aussie battler Subeta Vimalarajah forced federal Treasurer Joe Hockey to explain why tampons and sanitary products were not GST-free during the program.

“Mr. Hockey, do you think that sanitary products are an essential health good for half the population?” she asked in a pre-recorded video, which presumably edited out the part in which she located a microphone before proceeding to drop it.

(Her petition for this cause notes that “condoms, lubricants, sunscreen and nicotine patches” are exempt from the Goods and Services Tax, as they're classed as an “important health good.”)

After the Treasurer agreed with Vimalarajah that, uh, yeah, they probably should be GST-free, he was urged by Q&A host Tony Jones to say whether or not the GST should be removed on sanitary products.

“I’ll raise it with the states at the next meeting of the treasurers in July.”

(Side note: Meeting of the Treasurers sounds like a particularly boring Lord of the Rings spin-off.)

Still! That's at least something of a commitment. Watch democracy in motion below: