Victoria's largest sexual health centre to close CBD facility

Victoria's largest sexual health and education centre will close its CBD facility at the end of the month, even as sexually transmitted infections remain at near-record levels.

Sexual Health Victoria said funding from the state government had failed to keep pace with increased demand and overhead 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 Sexual Health Victoria spokesperson Sarah Cabret.

The not-for-profit offers screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as well as oral contraception prescriptions, reproductive and sexual health vaccinations, and pregnancy testing.

But clients hoping to book an appointment at its clinic on Elizabeth Street in Melbourne have been told it will be consolidated at its second site, Box Hill, by the end of the month.

It means thousands of clients will need to travel 15 kilometres away to access the same services.

"It was a very difficult decision. We spent over two years trying to review and then undertake changes," Ms 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.

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.

Ms Cabret said the clinic in the CBD, where infections are among the highest in the state, was no longer sustainable.

"We only have three clinic rooms, and there's no space to grow."

Those three rooms will be added to an expanded Box Hill clinic, and Ms Cabret said there would not be any staff losses.

Closing when needed most

Sexual Health Victoria has provided care for nearly 60 years and recently expanded its telehealth services to better connect with patients, particularly in remote areas.

It also held pop-up clinics at festivals and invested extra services to better connect with refugee and LGBTQIA+ communities.

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Jennifer Power, who is 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," Professor Power 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.

Ms 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.

Locking out 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 is chief executive of Thorne Harbour Health, Australia's oldest HIV/AIDS and LGBTIQ+ health organisation.

She 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.

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 Ms 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."