During a speech to the National Press Club for International Women's Day, Plibersek described the tax as what happens when male politicians don't consider the gendered impacts of the decisions they're making.



"Australia levies the GST [goods and services tax] on tampons but we don't apply it to Viagra!" she said. "Only a bunch of blokes sitting around a table would think that that was a good decision.

"It was a dumb decision when we made it in 1999, and 20 years later, it's still a dumb decision and we have to fix it."

When pressed on whether a Labor government would scrap the tax, Plibersek said it is ultimately a decision for state and territory governments, but doesn't think it is "beyond us".

"I really think that we can find a solution to this," she said. "I'll tell you what, in the scope of the whole federal budget and the amount we collect in GST ... I think that the technical term is 'bugger all'."

Under the current GST system "health products" including condoms, lubricants, sunscreen, nicotine patches and incontinence pads are tax-free.