The federal Government is spending more than $500 million on the school-based program under which girls aged 12-18 will get three injections over seven months.

Students in South Australia were the first in the country to get the Australian-developed vaccine which protects women against 70 per cent of cervical cancers.

Health Minister Tony Abbott said the vaccination had the potential to lower cervical cancer rates in Australia by 70 per cent within 50 years.

"Cervical cancer kills more than 200 Australian women every year," he said.

"In the years ahead we should see a significant reduction in cervical cancer cases," he said.

He said pap smears were still important because the vaccine did not prevent all of the causes of cervical cancer.