The NSW Government has rejected 20 of the 22 recommendations from the Parliamentary Inquiry into Public Toilets, accepting only two recommendations in principle.
According to Greens MLC Dr Amanda Cohn, who chaired the inquiry, it's an unusually dismissive response.
The inquiry was the most comprehensive examination of public toilet provision to be conducted in New South Wales. It heard from 60 witnesses across five public hearings, and produced six findings and 22 recommendations aimed at modernising a regulatory framework the committee found to be "not fit for purpose."
The inquiry recommended a significant overhaul of public toilet regulation in NSW, including development of a statewide public toilets strategy and establishment of benchmark standards for provision, accessibility and inclusive design. The committee's report was supported by consensus by Labor and Liberal MPs.
"The inquiry found, for example, that toilets should be designed using universal design principles so they are accessible and usable by people with a disability, older people, and people with prams. Another recommendation was the inclusion of baby change tables."
"It is deeply disappointing to see such a sweeping rejection of the committee's work," Dr Cohn said.
"The inquiry demonstrated overwhelmingly that public toilets are failing large parts of the community and excluding them from public life as a result."
"The Government had an opportunity to act on strong, cross-sector evidence and tripartisan recommendations to improve public health, inclusion and dignity. Instead, it has chosen to back the status quo of poorly regulated and inadequate public toilet provision."
The committee's findings highlighted that inadequate access to public toilets disproportionately affects people with disability, people who experience incontinence, people who menstruate, LGBTQIA+ communities, people experiencing homelessness, First Nations people, and those living in rural and remote areas.
Advocates are calling on the NSW Government to reconsider its response and engage seriously with the inquiry's findings to ensure public toilets across the state meet the needs of the whole community.
As stated by advocates who provided submissions to the inquiry
Megan Spindler-Smith, Acting CEO of People with Disability Australia, said: "People with disability shared deeply personal experiences with this inquiry about planning their whole day around toilet access, facing humiliating and undignified situations, or staying home because accessible facilities simply are not available. Seeing those voices and lived experiences met with inaction is deeply disappointing. Safe and truly accessible public toilets and Changing Places facilities are rights-supporting and rights-affirming and are a basic requirement for people with disability to live, work and participate in community life. The NSW Government cannot keep passing the buck to local councils, it must show leadership and deliver a statewide public toilet strategy that guarantees consistent, accessible facilities across NSW."
Public toilets researcher and expert Katherine Webber said: "While the NSW Government response agrees that public toilets are an essential component of urban infrastructure, their response fails to acknowledge the connection between public toilets and the health and wellbeing of people in NSW. Subsequently, it is disappointing that the NSW Government has decided not to take a leadership role in public toilet policy at this time."
