One Nation's Victorian deputy leader, Colleen Harkin, announced the policy on Friday: removing out-of-pocket costs for pregnant women in the public healthcare system and a $2,000 subsidy for those accessing private maternity care. She estimated it would cost $136 million over four years, but admitted it was a "ballpark" figure dependent on birth rates.
"We don't go hard on figures, because we actually don't have access to the detail of this stuff," Harkin told reporters.
Harkin said One Nation "will not touch the abortion laws" in Victoria, despite the federal party's national platform pledging to "seek every opportunity to roll back brutal and extreme abortion law". She said the party had "no state abortion policy because it is not our focus whatsoever", and accused Labor of "lying" and "engaging with really cheap American-style scaremongering".
The announcement came a day after Victorian Labor pledged, if re-elected in November, to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for abortion care at a cost of $30 million over four years. Labor also claimed One Nation could use abortion as a negotiating chip with the Coalition in the event of a hung parliament.
Under Labor's plan, private providers would be paid to deliver medical and surgical abortions up to 16 weeks' gestation. Women would no longer pay for GP and specialist consultations, scans, tests or medication, which can cost up to $1,000. Women in regional Victoria who travel long distances for care would also receive a subsidy. Medical abortion access would be extended from nine to 10 weeks' gestation, with a clinical review into whether it could safely be offered at up to 12 weeks.
Within hours, opposition leader Jess Wilson said the Coalition would match the plan, including the travel subsidy. "The Liberals and Nationals will not allow Labor to play politics on this issue," she said.
Fiona Carroll, wife of the premier, Ben Carroll, defended raising abortion in the lead-up to the election. "It does build on the Labor legacy, and I don't think I'm politicising this because it is fundamental to the women in this state," she said. She described the Coalition's matching commitment as "even better", saying it would "take some of that fear" out of the election for women.