Iconic Australian sport and media personalities are uniting behind the cause of menstrual equity ahead of the nation’s largest donation drive for period products.

Footy legends Sam Thaiday and Corey Oates have joined media personalities Christian Hull and Kip Wightman, among others, supporting Share the Dignity’s August Dignity Drive, declaring “Menstrual equity; it’s everyone’s business.”

The stars have joined forces as Share the Dignity is inviting Australians to get behind August Dignity Drive to help address the growing need for period product donations across the country.

Throughout 2026, people who menstruate have cited rising cost-of-living pressures, including fuel and housing, as key reasons household budgets are falling short when it comes to being able to afford period products.

When someone misses school, work, sport, opportunities, confidence or community participation because they cannot access period products, the impact is felt far beyond the individual. It is not simply a personal issue. It is a participation and equality issue.

Since removing the GST on period products in 2019, Share the Dignity has continued fighting to ensure dignity for every person who menstruates. Today, donated period products continue to support women, girls and those who menstruate experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, severe financial hardship and other challenges.

Share the Dignity Founder and Managing Director Rochelle Courtenay said while more Australians are feeling the impact of rising costs, those doing it toughest remain the priority recipients of support.

“We’re hearing from people across the board, from working professionals struggling to afford basic menstrual products through to those in our communities doing it toughest,” Rochelle said.

“For people already experiencing homelessness, domestic violence or severe financial hardship, period products are not optional and often only accessible through donations. That’s who our donated products are primarily helping.”

In March, our incredible community donated 145,539 period products through Dignity Drive.

Now, we need your help again.

Our goal across 2026 is to collect 500,000 period products to help meet growing demand from the more than 3,000 charities and community organisations we support.

Throughout August, donation points will be available at Woolworths Supermarkets and participating businesses nationwide, making it easy to donate and help ensure nobody misses out because they have their period.

Together, we can make dignity, fairness and participation possible for everyone.

Find your nearest Dignity Drive collection point and get involved today.

A new world-first report has revealed that periods are a significant and largely overlooked barrier preventing people with disability from fully participating in sport, prompting urgent calls for coordinated action across government, sport, and disability sectors.

The report, Powering Participation: Insights on menstruation support needed for people with disability in sport, led by Share the Dignity in partnership with Victoria University, draws on the experiences of 273 Australians aged 15 to 53.

Australia’s largest menstrual equity not-for-profit Share the Dignity, famous as the force behind the removal of GST on period products in 2019, embarked on the research following findings from their Bloody Big Survey that women of all abilities saw their period as a major barrier to participation in sport.

Share the Dignity Founder and Managing Director, Rochelle Courtenay, said the survey is the first in Australia to give a voice to people with different abilities sharing their experiences relating to the barriers they face around menstruation and sport.

“Two-thirds of our respondents, 67%, told us they skipped sport because of their period, with many of them telling us there just aren’t the appropriate products or facilities for them. Another third let us know they missed out on sport specifically due to not having the period products they need.”

“Australia is a sporting nation, we’re all about a fair go, and I think everyone can agree in 2026 no person should be missing out on the joy and community of sport because they don’t have access to period products, including people with disabilities,” she said.

Following the publication of the report, Share the Dignity has launched a first-of-its-kind educational foundations guide, addressing the intersection of sports, periods, and disability.

Ms Courtenay said the new resources aim to address the knowledge gap, with more than half of the respondents in the study expressing the need for better information on how menstruation interacts with their disability and affects sports performance.

“Only one in 10 people with disability have ever been given information about managing their period in sport and our education guide is here to change that.”

“Anxiety is a huge barrier that was raised in the report, be it anxiety about getting your period during sport or anxiety about letting coaches and teammates know you’re on your period, the lack of information out there has created huge barriers and discomfort.”

“By having information for coaches, information for young people and information for clubs, we want to equip everyone with the skills to be able to provide inclusive support,” she said. 

The report’s findings highlight systemic gaps in access, education, facilities, and support across Australia, with Share the Dignity imploring clubs and codes to get on board with the Bloody Good Sport pledge.

Bloody Good Sport champions menstrual equity across Australia by ensuring players at all levels and ages have access to products, education, and inclusive club environments.

At Share the Dignity, we’ve always believed that dignity should never be out of reach. 

For more than eleven years, we’ve seen the reality of period inequity in Australia: girls missing school because they can’t access period products, women choosing between food and pads, people using whatever they can find just to get through the day. 

What began as a grassroots response has grown into a national movement. 

Since 2015, with the support of our volunteers, partners and community, Share the Dignity has delivered more than six million period products to Australians doing it tough. We’ve helped bring conversations once hidden behind shame into the public eye and shown that when people understand the issue, they want to be part of the solution. 

Along the way, we’ve helped drive meaningful change, from contributing to the removal of GST on period products, to influencing access initiatives across Australia, to building the world’s largest body of research into menstruation through the Bloody Big Survey. 

But despite the progress we’ve made, there is still a long way to go, but we’re ready for the challenge. 

Today, our work focuses on three key areas: 

• Delivering immediate support to those in need 
• Influencing policy and systems 
• Changing the way Australia understands menstruation 

And now, we’re setting our most ambitious goal yet. 

Our Goal: Menstrual Equity in Australia by 2031 

By 2031, we want to achieve menstrual equity in Australia. That means creating a future where: 

• Period products are available wherever they are needed, just like toilet paper 
• No one misses school, work, sport or life because of their period 
• Menstruation is understood, accepted and spoken about without shame 

To help achieve this, we will continue pushing for policy change, using evidence from the Bloody Big Survey to guide decisions and creating innovative solutions that improve access to period products across schools, workplaces, hospitals and public spaces.

We know this work is layered and complex, and progress may not always be linear. But what remains unchanged is why we do this work.

No one should have to choose between basic essentials and managing their period. Yet for far too many people, this is still a reality.

That’s why this work is about more than period products. It’s about fairness, dignity and ensuring people can fully participate in everyday life.

Everything we’ve achieved so far has been possible because of people who chose to show up, whether through donating, volunteering, advocating or sharing our mission.

To our volunteers, partners and community: thank you. While we’re proud of how far we’ve come, we know there is still more to do, and we are committed to continuing the work to make menstrual equity a reality in Australia.

Because dignity should never be out of reach.

To learn more about our mission and read our roadmap to menstrual equity, visit our About Us page.

“According to the 2024 Bloody Big Survey by Share the Dignity, 64 per cent of people said they received no education or wished they’d known more before their first period.”

You can read the full article on Body+Soul here.

“Australian women unable to afford sanitary items are resorting to stealing or using household items like bread instead of pads as the cost-of-living crisis deepens.

As the price of fuel surges to unaffordable levels and consecutive cash rate hikes stretch bank accounts further, many women are being forced to choose between period products and other essentials.”

You can read the full article on 9news.com.au here.

“Rochelle Courtenay, Founder of Share the Dignity, is tackling a different kind of barrier. In 2015, she read that 48,000+ women experiencing homelessness did not have access to period products. “That’s really where Share the Dignity started,” she says. “I wanted to make sure that there wasn’t a person in Australia that didn’t know this problem existed, because we’re all part of the solution to fix that.””

You can read the full article on FRANKIE4 here.

“Rochelle Courtenay, Founder and Managing Director of Share the Dignity, has built one of Australia’s most practical, people-powered responses to period poverty. Recognized in The CEO Magazine’s Women of Influence 2026 spotlight, her goal is simple: menstrual equity by 2030.”

You can read the full article on The CEO Magazine here.

The call to action coincides with the launch of the Dignity Map, Australia’s first interactive map showing where period poverty is most severe, powered by data from Share the Dignity’s 2024 Bloody Big Survey. 

The Dignity Map reveals that 64% of Australian menstruators have found it difficult to afford period products, with Tasmania (69%), Queensland (66%) and South Australia (66%) recording the highest rates. 

Share the Dignity Founder and Managing Director, Rochelle Courtenay, said the data confirms period poverty is widespread and demands immediate action. 

“Period poverty is happening in every community, in every postcode, and for too long it has remained hidden,” Ms Courtenay said. 

“The Dignity Map shows us exactly where the need is greatest, and the Dignity Drive gives Australians a simple but powerful way to respond.” 

Running throughout the month of March, the Dignity Drive invites shoppers to donate unopened period products and incontinence aids at Woolworths Supermarkets and participating businesses nationwide. 

The data also highlights the far-reaching impact of period poverty on daily life: 

• 63% have missed school due to their period 
• 56% have missed work, costing the economy an estimated $9.6 billion annually 
• 68% have missed sport, most due to fear of leaking, pain or lack of access to products 

The Dignity Map transforms responses from 153,620 Australians into a searchable, visual tool that helps identify where support is needed most. 

The Bloody Big Survey also revealed that: 

• 1 in 4 people wear pads or tampons longer than four hours due to cost 
• 96,000 respondents reported low iron or iron deficiency 
• 83% of gender diverse people and 78% of people with a disability have experienced period poverty 

“No one should ever have to use toilet paper, socks or cotton wool to manage their period,” Ms Courtenay said. 

“The Dignity Map helps us advocate for long-term change, while the Dignity Drive ensures immediate dignity for people doing it tough right now.” 

The March Dignity Drive is held in partnership with Woolworths, with collection boxes available in stores across Australia. 

Loretta Arrastia, Woolworths’ Community Programs Manager said “Our teams can’t wait to get behind this great cause. Since the start of Woolworths partnership with Share the Dignity, we’ve donated more than $3.3 million to help provide better access to period care for local communities. Each March and August we donate five cents from every period product sold, and this funds Dignity Vending Machines across Australia.” 

Australians are encouraged to look for the pink collection boxes when shopping this March and donate what they can, or contribute financially via the Share the Dignity website to support distribution to charities and communities in need. 

“By donating this March, Australians can turn awareness into action,” Ms Courtenay said. 

“Together, we can ensure no one is held back simply because they cannot afford period products.” 

To explore the Dignity Map or find your nearest collection point, visit Dignity Drives

Giving a voice to Aussies who menstruate is our greatest pride, especially when we get to connect with the next generation, because it means we’re getting closer to locking in a brighter future together. One way we do this is through our annual Creating Period Pride competition.

We get so pumped about this competition because the results are always beautifully bold and sometimes a little bit brazen – and because seeing teens feel empowered enough to take to the page or screen to inspire, entertain, and create period pride in their local communities is a massive part of our “why”.

We can’t wait for next year when we’ll hopefully see more boys start taking part, because teens are the leaders of tomorrow, and together, we can lock in a fairer future for all.

So without further ado, it’s time we shared the 2025 winners with you! Please join us in celebrating the courage and creativity of the young leaders shaping the future of period pride in Australia.

From poetry to protest and painting to performance, we are so immensely proud of this year’s contenders.

This March, Share the Dignity is celebrating 10 years of working to end period poverty in Australia, however after a decade working to ensure dignified access to period products, Share the Dignity continues to see the demand rise to new heights. 

Through well-known yearly campaigns, the collection of period products, advocacy work to improve education and legal frameworks and an incredible system of stakeholders, volunteers and supporters, Share the Dignity are doing their part to support those who menstruate.

With several major campaigns running every year, including bi-annual Dignity Drives in March and August, the organisation which started as a grassroots initiative, has turned into a national movement.

With support from corporate partnerships like Woolworths, government figures, Australian influencers and well-loved Australian icons, Share the Dignity has no intention to slow down, especially when the demand for period products and basic essentials continue to rise at an alarming rate.

The rising costs of living continue to remain challenging for everyday Australians as they struggle to make ends meet. Compare the Market’s Household Budget Barometer 2024 survey of 3,000 Australians, found that 25% of respondents were worried about the rising cost of groceries and basic essentials, with 45% of respondents experiencing financial concerns at least once a week.

Share the Dignity Founder and Managing Director, Rochelle Courtenay said despite all the incredible support the charity receives, the cost-of-living crisis in Australia continues to impact those experiencing period poverty.

“We’ve accomplished so much over the last 10 years and I’m so proud of the work that we’ve done, but there is still so much more to do,” Ms Courtenay said.

“The cost-of-living crisis has placed immense pressure on vulnerable Australians, and we must rally together to ensure no one has to face period poverty alone.

“No woman, girl or person who menstruates should have to experience the indignity of having to substitute period products”.

Women living in poverty and their struggles with menstruation was first brought to Courtenay’s attention 10 years ago whilst reading an article from Mamamia, where it detailed women and girls resorting to using socks, newspapers and wadded up toilet paper to try and manage their period. After that day, Courtenay took her first steps towards creating a charity from the ground up to try and tackle Australia’s issue with period poverty.

The Bloody Big Survey, conducted by Share the Dignity in 2024, highlighted the hardships faced by everyday Australians, quantified in alarming statistics, finding 64% of respondents have had difficulty purchasing period products due to cost.

“Our mission has always been to ensure that no one has to go without period products, but the reality is that demand is growing faster than we can meet it,” Ms Courtenay said.

“As we reflect on our 10-year birthday, it is clear that our work is more critical than ever, and more people than ever need our help.”

Darian Brooker has experienced period poverty firsthand and said she still vividly remembers what it was like to bleed through her clothes and have period blood running down her leg at school.

“I would wear multiple pairs of undies and wrap up a huge amount of toilet paper to catch the school bus,” Ms Brooker said.

Brooker now speaks of the importance of access to period products and how these essential items would have changed her whole experience with menstruation growing up.

“I could have had the dignity in that situation to access the products that I needed without needing to ask anybody, and to also have had the opportunity to not bleed through and stain clothes.”

To help people like Darian, Share the Dignity is collecting period products and incontinence aids this March, which can be donated in the pink collection boxes at all Woolworths Supermarkets Australia-wide.

Woolworths will also donate 5 cents from the sale of every period product purchased throughout March, adding to the $3,157,033 already donated since the partnership started in 2019. Thanks to these Woolworths donations, Share the Dignity has been able to install and maintain 107 currently installed Dignity Vending Machines which dispense free period packs to those in need in the community.

This support helps to ensure those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, domestic violence or poverty don’t have to risk their health and go through the indignity of using other items in place of period products.

All period products and incontinence aids collected through the Dignity Drive will be distributed to Share the Dignity’s 3000+ charity partners, including community groups, domestic violence refuges, homeless shelters and other organisations supporting our most vulnerable community members.

Share the Dignity are calling on everyday Australians to join together to support their fellow neighbours needing support by donating period products, funds or their time. Make an impact this March by donating period products to Share the Dignity’s Dignity Drive.