news.com.au has secured new specialist help for the more than one million Australians suffering from endometriosis, a condition that causes chronic pain and infertility.
Two months after the launch of news.com.au’s ‘About Bloody Time’ campaign, the Federal Government will announce a $49.1 million investment into tackling the condition. From July 1, 2025, women suffering from endometriosis will have longer specialist consultations of 45 minutes or more covered under Medicare.
Health minister Mark Butler said he was “deeply moved by the women who spoke about their experience with endometriosis during the About Bloody Time campaign”.
“I hope through this announcement today they feel listened to,” he said.
News.com.au launched its About Bloody Time campaign on March 1, to encourage legislators to add a Medicare item number, to help more women be diagnosed sooner. Calling for 20,000 signatures on its petition by International Women’s Day, March 8, the goal was achieved in just 24 hours, and had 55,000 signatures in a little over a week.
“News.com.au has an audience of almost 13 million and we wanted to use our reach to advocate for change and lift the standard of care nationwide,” said Lisa Muxworthy, editor-in-chief.
“The win today highlights the importance of journalism and our ability to build a better Australia for all Australians. We are all here to make a difference, push boundaries and have the courage to challenge the way things are done”.
Editor Kerry Warren said the investment from the government showed the incredible power of the news.com.au brand, its reach across the country and ability to make people sit up and listen.
“The campaign resonated with Australians with more than 3.8 million page views on stories throughout March,” said Muxworthy. “Even though we knew how many women suffered from endo, we were blown away by the response to About Bloody Time. We were contacted by thousands of women, from people in their teens and early 20s, right up to women in their 80s, who all said the same thing – ‘we finally feel seen'”.
News.com.au launched the campaign with a highly personal and compelling video featuring senior reporter Lexie Cartwright, who suffers from endometriosis and led the campaign. The video was viewed more than 4.4 million times across news.com.au and its social channels, and was critical to the success of the campaign.
Through editorial, video and social content, the About Bloody Time campaign showcased the stories of many high-profile sufferers, women from rural and regional Australia and featured interviews with experts, researchers and doctors.
Previously, an initial gynaecologist appointment received an $81.30 rebate which covered only 10 minutes of a gynaecologists’ time. The result of the small rebate saw patients being crammed into short sessions which barely scratched the surface of their issues, or paying hundreds of dollars out of pocket to get the time they needed.
As of July next year, Medicare will cover $168.60 for an initial appointment, and $84.35 for follow-up appointments, compared to the previous rate of $40.85. The investment will provide about 430,000 more services to help women across the country with complex gynaecological conditions.
