The Closure of Victoria’s Largest Sexual Health Centre
Victoria’s largest sexual health and education centre is set to close its CBD facility at the end of the month, despite a continued rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) across the state. Sexual Health Victoria, the organisation behind the centre, has cited financial constraints as the primary reason for the decision. According to spokesperson Sarah Cabret, funding from the state government has not kept up with rising demand and operational costs.
“We’d like to be able to provide as many appointments as we possibly can, but the demand is so high it’s a challenge to meet that,” said Cabret. “Unless we consolidate now, it actually puts our entire organisation at risk because we can’t sustain it.”
The not-for-profit organisation offers a wide range of services, including STI screening, oral contraception prescriptions, reproductive and sexual health vaccinations, and pregnancy testing. However, clients hoping to book an appointment at its Elizabeth Street clinic in Melbourne will now have to travel 15 kilometres to the Box Hill site.
“It was a very difficult decision. We spent over two years trying to review and then undertake changes,” Cabret said. The service provided more than 16,500 appointments to a record 8,663 clients last year, with 87 per cent of those in-person at its two clinics. It also delivered sex education programs to over 200 Victorian schools and trained hundreds of healthcare professionals.
Rising STI Rates and the Impact of Closures
The closure comes at a time when common STIs such as syphilis, gonorrhoea, and chlamydia remain at higher rates than a decade ago. Despite dipping from post-COVID highs, syphilis was over four times more prevalent in 2025 compared to 2010. Gonorrhoea infections have surged 55 per cent in Victoria since 2021, with last year’s figure 27 per cent above the decade average. Chlamydia rates are also at concerning levels, with more than 22,000 cases recorded in 2025.
Cabret said the CBD clinic, where infections are among the highest in the state, was no longer sustainable. “A lot of health organisations are being crippled by overheads,” she said. “We only have three clinic rooms, and there’s no space to grow.”
The three rooms will be added to an expanded Box Hill clinic, and Cabret said there would not be any staff losses. However, the closure raises concerns about access to essential sexual health services, particularly for young people and vulnerable communities.
Challenges in Accessing Sexual Health Services
Sexual Health Victoria has provided care for nearly 60 years and recently expanded its telehealth services to better connect with patients, especially in remote areas. It also held pop-up clinics at festivals and invested extra services to better connect with refugee and LGBTQIA+ communities.
Jennifer Power, deputy director at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University, said Sexual Health Victoria’s service was one of the most well-known among young people. “It’s a pity. If there’s any reduction in funding or capacity for Sexual Health Victoria, I think that’s leaving us all worse off,” she said.
The service posted a $35,850 surplus last financial year, including a 22 per cent jump in self-generated income, according to its 2024–25 annual report. The state government contributed more than half of all revenue. Cabret said there had been no review or increase in government funding for Sexual Health Victoria in 15 years, beyond indexing for inflation.
This year’s state budget earmarked $9.8 million for 12 health organisations to provide women with preventative sexual and reproductive advice and cervical cancer screening. “We have continued to invest strongly in specialist and community-based sexual health services to make it easier for people to get tested and treated early,” a Victorian government spokesperson said.
However, Greens health spokesperson Sarah Mansfield said more support was needed to ensure bulk-billing sexual health centres remained in the CBD. “Losing this service from Melbourne’s centre will leave young people without access to essential, affordable support, like contraception and abortion care,” she said.
Barriers to Access for Young People
La Trobe’s Professor Power said the closure could prevent some young people from accessing sexual healthcare. “Cost can be a major barrier for young people; a lot of young people don’t know how to access bulk billing services,” she said. “It is more difficult and does create some barriers to access for people who can’t easily travel … or might second-guess themselves if the service isn’t easily and closely available.”
Only 16 per cent of Australians aged 16 to 49 have been tested for an STI, according to recent figures from the Australian Survey of Health and Relationships. Bron Lawman, chief executive of Thorne Harbour Health, Australia’s oldest HIV/AIDS and LGBTIQ+ health organisation, said sexual health services were too difficult to access in Victoria, particularly for young people.
“Unlike some other states, which have more widely available publicly funded sexual health models, many Victorians still rely on general practice for routine sexual health care,” she said. “Access remains inconsistent for many young people, particularly LGBTIQA+ young people, due to stigma, misinformation, cost, and difficulty navigating the health system.”
To help push up the number of young people getting tested for STIs, Sexual Health Victoria recently launched a statewide advertising campaign. The “Unusual Discharge?” message was beamed onto billboards in busy areas, which Cabret hoped would also address stigma in the community.
“It wasn’t a choice to be running health promotion around STIs and keeping the CBD open,” she said. “Our ambition isn’t actually about generating income and appointments for us. It’s actually general health awareness for the community.”
