Labor says money is the big problem for many families with fertility problems. A government-commissioned report, published today, has found that the price of IVF put the treatment out of reach for many.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Health Minister Jill Hennessy promised on Tuesday to establish public IVF services which would be bulk-billed and subsidised for low-income Victorians and to crack down on shonky operators in the reproductive health sector.

The pledge is the latest move to appeal to female voters in the crucial 35 to 49 years age bracket, a demographic identified as key to winning this month’s state election.

Labor says about 13,000 Victorians were treated at IVF clinics in the past financial year, but fewer than 10 per cent used the state’s only bulk-billing clinic and the Premier says the tens of millions of dollars in subsidies he is promising will help more families have children.

Mr Andrews also said he would “crack down on unscrupulous IVF providers who prey on prospective parents and peddle false hope about their chances of becoming pregnant”.

The Health Complaints Commissioner would be asked by a re-elected Labor government to lead an investigation into “the dodgy, dangerous and unethical practices by IVF providers including those who fail to be upfront about success rates or costs – with hefty penalties for those who don’t comply.”