LABOR FOR CHOICE NSW

Labor for Choice is a pro-choice action network working within the Australian Labor Party to advance legal, safe, accessible, and affordable abortion in Australia. We work with MPs, Labor activists, and other groups at a state and federal level to organise and lobby within the Labor Party for support for reproductive rights and healthcare funding.

We have had several recent and significant wins, including:

• The decriminalisation of abortion - in NSW in 2019, the last state in Australia to include abortion in the Crimes Act, through a bill co-sponsored by Labor MPs, and in 2018 in QLD by the state Labor Government;

• The passage of ‘safe access zones’ - in NSW in 2018, co-sponsored by Labor MPs, and in QLD in 2018, by the state Labor Government, and the introduction of a bill by the WA state Labor Government in 2020;

• Changing the National Platform at Labor's 2018 National Conference, which committed the ALP to working towards legal, safe, affordable, and accessible abortion in Australia.

But there is still more work to do. Despite changes to the law, many people throughout Australia continue to struggle to access reproductive healthcare services, particularly in regional and outer-suburban areas. This is often due to cost, as abortion isn’t covered by Medicare, and lack of access to services locally, with many forced to travel significant distances and across state borders. The COVID-19 crisis has only amplified this problem.

Labor for Choice will continue to campaign on issues of affordability and access within the Labor Party, through State and National Conference policy, branch meetings, activism, and lobbying MPs and stakeholders. Labor’s National Conference in December is a great opportunity to put these issues front and centre, and we hope to see more activists get involved!

Message our Facebook page 'Labor for Choice NSW' to find out more.