The Upper house voted in favor of a bill introduced by The Greens to do away with the ten percent tax off feminine hygiene products, derisively known as the "tampon tax".

"Australians have had enough - they want this unfair tax on sanitary products gone once and for all," said Greens Senator Janet Rice.  "Menstruating is not a luxury."

Queensland Liberal Party Senator Amanda Stoker for some reason spoke against the legislation, dismissing it as a "nice political gesture" while belittling the $11 a year she says Australian women pay for the GST on tampons.  "Not a single state or territory treasurer has been asking for this tax to be reduced or removed from sanitary products," Senator Stoker said.

After passing the Senate the bill moved almost immediately to the house where Greens MP Adam Bandt said, "There is no place in Australia for this discriminatory tax, we could remove this unfair burden today."

But the coalition refused to do that and defeated the bill, meaning that Australian women will continuing to pay an extra ten percent.

Labor has said that if it wins the election it will scrap the tampon tax.