More than 100,000 people have backed moves to remove the GST from women's sanitary products in a petition that Queensland Greens Senator Larissa Waters tabled in Parliament on Thursday.
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Senator Waters tabled the Stop Taxing My Period petition in the Senate a day ahead of a COAG meeting between state and territory leaders on Friday.
"When the treasurers meet on Friday, women across Australia will be counting on them to finally end this sexist tax," she said.
"It's discriminatory to exempt condoms or sunscreen from GST but charge women GST for essential items.
"Tampons and pads should have never been taxed in the first place. It screams of policy created without enough women in the room."
Queensland Treasurer Curtis Pitt last week confirmed he, along with the Labor treasurers of Victoria, South Australia and the ACT, would seek to have the GST removed from sanitary products at a Council of Federal Financial Relations meeting in Canberra this Friday.
"This issue dates back to when John Howard first conceived the GST," he said.
"It was unfair to subject essential feminine hygiene products to GST then and it still is now."
In a joint statement from Mr Pitt, Tim Pallas (Victoria), Jack Snelling (SA) and Andrew Barr (ACT), the all-male Labor treasurers said Australian women spent "close to $300 million" a year on sanitary products.
"The removal of GST from sanitary products is about fairness," they said.
"The change is simple. Once the proposal receives the unanimous support of the states and territories, the federal health minister can declare by determination, the supply of a good to be GST-free.
"Currently, condoms, lubricants, folic acid, sunscreen and nicotine (in any form for use as an aid in withdrawal from tobacco smoking) are declared under this determination."
Treasurer Joe Hockey said the issue had been raised with him "by a number of states", but ultimately the ball was in their court.
"I said I'm happy to put it on the agenda and, in that regard, I did and quite clearly a number of states are opposed to that," he said in Parliament on Thursday.
"What we have always said is the only way you're going to make any changes to the GST is if all the states and territories agree.
"So it's in their court and it will be decided tomorrow by the states and territories."
