Period products deliver dignity on CQU campuses and beyond
A CQUniversity partnership with national women’s charity Share the Dignity is putting free period products in campuses across Australia, and helping support menstrual health across disadvantaged communities.
The pilot project, led by CQU’s Wellbeing Directorate, has put period product dispensers installed in bathrooms across 12 CQU campuses.
International Student Wellbeing Project Officer Si Feng said the initiative was evidence-based, and central to CQU’s commitment to equity.
“Statistics show 64 per cent of people who menstruate have struggled to afford period products, and around 80 per cent for priority cohorts including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, gender-diverse students, and those experiencing financial stress,” she explained.
“Research from Charles Sturt University has also found that more than a third of students have missed classes due to period poverty, so it’s really meaningful support we’re providing to our students at CQU.”
Practical support
The period product dispensers are available at:
| Brisbane | Level 7 Student Lounge toilets |
| Bundaberg | Building 3 Library toilets |
| Cairns | Level 3 toilets |
| Gladstone | Library toilets |
| Mackay Ooralea | Trade Trading Centre toilets; Buildings 3, 19 (ground and first floor library) and 51 (student residence) toilets |
| Melbourne | Level 1 toilets |
| Rockhampton North | Library ground floor toilets |
| Rockhampton Residential College | Main toilets (near dining hall) and Common Room toilets |
| Sydney | Level 1 toilets |
| Townsville | Building 1 Level 1 toilets, Building 2 level 1 toilets |
CQU Mackay Ooralea Campus Coordinator Leanne Williams is a Share the Dignity volunteer, and said the initiative builds on five years of the Mackay campus working with the charity to collect donated period products, and supplying free sanitary items across campus bathrooms.
“Every time it’s mentioned during campus and library tours, students and staff are always visibly surprised and genuinely pleased to learn that these products are freely available, which shows just how meaningful this small act can be,” Ms Williams said.
“Students don’t just appreciate the service; they actively use it… and it offers a quiet, dignified form of assistance, one that allows people to access what they need without having to ask, explain, or feel uncomfortable.
“It removes a barrier that can otherwise disrupt study, confidence, and comfort, making it a subtle yet powerful way the library supports the campus community throughout their time here.”
CQU’s investment in the period product dispensers further contributes to Share the Dignity’s mission to end period poverty and support vulnerable communities.
Learn more at Share the Dignity’s website, and explore other CQU Wellbeing services at CQU Counselling and Wellbeing.
