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Protesters Revel as Bill to Remove 'Tampon Tax' Passes Australian Senate

A bill to axe GST on feminine hygiene products in Australia passed the upper house on Monday, June 18, while protesters gathered on the lawns of parliament house calling on the government to “stop taxing my period.”

Labor and the Greens jointly voted to remove the tax, but the draft laws were unlikely to pass the lower house, the ABC said because the government does not support the change.

Greens senator Janet Rice, who spearheaded the demonstrations and the campaign, told parliament the tax was sexist. “Menstruating is not a luxury,” she said.

Liberal senator Amanda Stoker said the GST on sanitary products cost women approximately $11 a year, SBS reported. Credit: Office of Janice Rice via Storyful