New building rules in Australia allowing “all-gender” toilets have raised safety concerns for girls and women, according to a Christian legal rights group.
State governments have until May 1 to either adopt or reject new rules that could reduce the number of single-sex toilets in public buildings, the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) reported on March 11.
The National Construction Code 2025 allows developers to replace up to half of the mandatory male and female toilets in a building with so-called "all-gender" facilities. If adopted, the rules would affect a wide range of public spaces, including schools, workplaces, shopping centers, and sports venues.
Michelle Pearse, the CEO of the ACL, said reducing the number of single-sex toilets raises genuine safety concerns.
“Women and girls deserve safe, private spaces in public buildings,” said Pearse. “Removing or reducing women’s toilets puts their safety and dignity at risk.”
Pearse said survivors of sexual violence, young girls, mothers, and older women rely on single-sex toilets for safety and privacy, and that the changes could leave them with no real choice but to use all-gender facilities, even if they feel unsafe.
The ACL is currently campaigning to convince the New South Wales (NSW) Government to follow Tasmania’s lead and "opt out" of the new rules before the May deadline. While the NSW Government previously rejected a state parliamentary inquiry that recommended more all-gender toilets, policymakers have not yet committed to rejecting the National Construction Code changes.
“The government cannot say it opposes forced all-gender toilets in one policy and then allow it to happen through the building code,” Pearse said. “If the NSW Government truly cares about the safety of women and children in NSW, it should reject these changes.”
Pearse noted that when the NSW Government previously rejected similar recommendations, it argued that public toilets were primarily the responsibility of local councils and that there was no need for new laws governing their design. However, the ACL argues that failing to opt out of the national code creates a loophole for developers.
The updated code, published Feb. 1, allows developers to replace up to half of male and female toilets with shared facilities. Although optional, the ACL warns the change could reduce the number of dedicated spaces for women and men.
“We’ve raised concerns that reducing the number of single-sex facilities risks compromising privacy and safety for women and girls – and we’ve already been proven right,” said Pearse. “In the ACT [Australian Capital Territory], where these facilities already exist, there are reports of girls dropping out of sport because they don’t want to change clothes in the same changing rooms as men.”
