A Taipei toilet sign. The NSW committee recommended the term “unisex” be replaced by “all gender”. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
A NSW Parliament committee has recommended the State Government mandate where feasible single-use cubicle all-gender public toilet facilities across NSW and change signs with terms like “unisex” to “all-gender”.
The public toilets inquiry, chaired by Albury-based Greens MP Amanda Cohn, deliberated for 14 months, accepting submissions and holding public hearings, before handing down recommendations on Thursday (16 October).
The final committee report stated traditional public toilet designs – separate male and female blocks with multiple stalls and a common area to wash hands – are “not inclusive and excludes those who are transgender, non-binary, intersex or gender diverse”.
“The design can cause discomfort, conflict, and increase the risk of harassment or violence to those who are transgender or gender diverse,” the report stated.
A number of groups expressed concerns about the status quo, with Lake Macquarie City Council stating that the introduction of “more inclusive, gender-neutral facilities would help make public spaces more welcoming for transgender and non-binary individuals”.
The committee recommended the NSW Government develop and implement a statewide public toilet strategy.
“This strategy provides for the application of consistent language in respect of public toilets: the term ‘gender’ should be used instead of ‘sex’ and the term ‘all-gender’ should be used instead of ‘unisex’; and further, mandate where feasible and practical the provision of modern, accessible, single-use cubicle all-gender public toilet facilities, utilising universal design principles, baby change areas and assistance animal relief areas,” the report said.
Single cubicle toilets like this one in Darlington Point are the preferred model of the NSW committee. Photo: Supplied.
The committee also recommended the NSW Government establish a public education campaign to address the value of universal design including all-gender single-use cubicles that are accessible and inclusive to all.
However, some who gave evidence to the inquiry opposed any move towards all-gender toilets.
“Many women complain that, if the toilets are unisex, males often wet the floor in front of the toilet and on the seat, so they have to be careful when they pull down their pants or try to sit on the toilet,” nurse practitioner in continence Dr Lorraine Dickson said.
Advocacy group Australian Feminists for Women’s Rights argued that women and girls “deserve to have access to a single-sex space for refuge as well as sanitary activities”.
The committee report expressed a preference for single-use cubicles, which it said balanced the need for privacy, safety and inclusion towards gender diverse groups.
It made the finding that “single-use cubicles with internal amenities that open directly onto public space, as opposed to multi-stall gendered toilet blocks, are the preferred design, including for a broad range of people such as parents of young children, people with neurodiversity, psychosocial and other “hidden” disabilities, people who are transgender or gender diverse, and those with additional needs relating to privacy and safety.”
The inquiry also highlighted the poor quality and general inaccessibility of public toilets across rural and regional NSW. It recommended an audit of existing public toilets to identify gaps in accessible toilet provision and that sunscreen be provided at public loos.
The NSW Government is required to respond to the committee’s report by 16 January 2026. The government is not obliged to implement any of its recommendations.
