Victoria’s Labor government announced the country’s first inquiry into women’s pain in early 2024, but more than a year later, its release is overdue.
The inquiry’s findings and recommendations were due to be made public early this year.
But months on, there’s no sign of the inquiry’s work, beyond an update to the inquiry’s website pushing the release date off to “mid -2025”.
In September last year, Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas released preliminary themes which had emerged from a survey associated with the inquiry.
The survey found women and girls had experienced sexism and misogyny in the health system, had pain dismissed as psychological or emotional, and had diagnoses delayed.
Despite those dire early findings, the inquiry itself has also been delayed.
They put the delay down to the huge response to the inquiry, which received more than 13,000 submissions.
Source: Victorian government urged to move on months-overdue women’s pain inquiry – ABC News