Ms Plibersek has in the past indicated her support at making the drug more widely available.

Opposition leader Tony Abbott says he would accept the advice of health experts on whether to subsidise abortion pill RU486.

''When I was in government, we invariably accepted the advice of our technical advisers,'' Mr Abbott told reporters in Adelaide on Friday.

''That was the way I operated as Minister and this is now before them and that would certainly be the way I would operate - I would accept the advice of the technical experts.''

''I understand that there are lots of people who are concerned to try to ensure that we have a humane society which deals decently with women who are in a very difficult position and I certainly have always said that the whole issue was to try to ensure that we empowered women, to try to ensure that we gave women in a very difficult position all the support they needed to make what was for them the best possible choice.''