community services · Orange City Council
Orange rebate expands to five years after reusable period products trial sells out
Eligible residents can claim 50 per cent off qualifying reusable period products, up to $50 per person each financial year, with multiple people in one household now able to apply.
Eligible residents in the Orange Local Government Area will have access to a five-year reusable period product rebate after Orange City Council’s 12-month trial exhausted its full $5,000 allocation early.
The new program will receive $5,000 per financial year, subject to annual budget approval. It covers eligible reusable period products and provides a 50 per cent rebate, capped at $50 per person each financial year. Claims must be at least $15.
Multiple eligible people living in the same household can now claim. The change removes the trial’s household-based limit, which council said could disadvantage households with more than one person who menstruates.
Council will continue promoting the program through its communication channels and staff will continue to seek and apply for grant funding to support it.
De-identified data will be collected throughout the five-year program, including the number of people accessing the rebate, the types of products purchased and total and average rebate amounts.
The program was approved 8-3. Mayor T Mileto and councillors D Mallard, M McDonell, S Peterson, G Power, M Ruddy, J Stedman and J Whitton voted in favour. Deputy Mayor T Greenhalgh and councillors K Duffy and G Judge voted against.
Councillor F Kinghorne declared a significant pecuniary interest because her pharmacy sells the products. She left the meeting, did not participate in discussion or voting, and later returned.
Council will receive a report at the end of the five-year period covering uptake, expenditure and outcomes, along with recommendations about the program’s future. Each annual allocation remains subject to that year’s budget process.
Reference minutes
Orange City Council considered the program at its ordinary meeting on 15 September 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- The reusable period product trial exhausted its $5,000 allocation before the scheduled end of its 12-month term.
- The replacement program will run for five years with $5,000 allocated per financial year, subject to annual budget approval.
- Eligible Orange Local Government Area residents can claim 50 per cent of eligible reusable period product costs.
- The rebate is capped at $50 per person per financial year and has a $15 minimum claim amount.
- Multiple eligible people in one household can claim under the new program.
- The decision passed 8-3, with Cr F Kinghorne absent after declaring a significant pecuniary interest.
- A report on uptake, expenditure and outcomes is due at the conclusion of the five-year program.
Why it matters
- The rebate gives eligible Orange residents a longer-running discount on reusable period products and allows multiple eligible people in one household to claim, rather than applying a single household-based limit.