Women Speak Tasmania

Safety, Privacy and Dignity Concerns – All-gender Toilets and Changerooms at the Community Recreation Hub- Letter to Launceston City Council

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Letter sent to Launceston Mayor Garwood and councillors on 29.03.26

Dear Mayor and Councillors,

Re: Safety, privacy and dignity concerns – All-gender toilets and changerooms at the Northern Suburbs Community Recreation Hub, Mowbray

I write on behalf of Women Speak Tasmania regarding the new Northern Suburbs Community Recreation Hub. We commend the Council and the Tasmanian Government for delivering this much-needed $62 million community facility for sport and recreation in the northern suburbs.

We are aware of the recent changes in the National Construction Code (NCC) 2025, which introduce a Deemed-to-Satisfy pathway that permits all-gender sanitary facilities as an optional design approach. We also note public complaints and debate surrounding these changes. However, the new regulations do not require buildings to make all toilets and changerooms gender-neutral. The NCC continues to allow — and in most cases expects — separate male and female facilities, with all-gender options permitted only as a limited, voluntary substitution (subject to strict rules on numbers and design). The NCC does not require the removal of single-sex facilities and continues to allow their provision alongside any all-gender options.

Despite this, the Hub has been designed with all toilets and changerooms as gender-neutral / all-gender. Even though the facilities use individual, self-contained single-occupant cubicles, the evidence from comparable leisure and sports settings shows that single-sex provisions remain the safer and more dignified option for women and girls, particularly in high-use recreational environments.

Key evidence includes:

  • The 2017–2018 Freedom of Information data (Sunday Times / UK councils) across pools and leisure centres recorded 134 complaints of sexual assaults, voyeurism or harassment in changing rooms. 120 of these (approximately 90%) occurred in unisex or mixed-sex facilities, compared with only 14 in single-sex spaces. Two-thirds of the sexual attacks took place in unisex areas, many involving mobile phones or hidden devices.
  • A 2025 Freedom of Information-based report by the Women’s Rights Network documented serious incidents, including sexual offences and voyeurism, in leisure centre changing facilities. The report raises concerns about risks in mixed-sex environments, particularly for female users.

In a busy, high-traffic venue such as the Northern Hub — serving sports courts, community events, children, families and after-school programs — removing sex-based segregation increases the opportunity for opportunistic voyeurism and other risks. Women and girls already report feeling less safe and less comfortable when opposite-sex individuals are present in intimate spaces. Providing single-sex cubicles (female-only and male-only) alongside all-gender options would give everyone a genuine choice without excluding any group.

We therefore respectfully request that the City of Launceston:

  1. Conduct an urgent review of the all-gender-only policy at the Hub and designate a reasonable proportion of the cubicles as single-sex (female-only and male-only) so women and girls have a safe, private choice.
  2. Implement transparent, ongoing monitoring and public reporting of any voyeurism, sexual incidents, or privacy complaints at the facility.
  3. Consult directly with local women’s groups, including Women Speak Tasmania, before finalising any future expansions or similar projects.

We support inclusive facilities where they supplement rather than replace single-sex options. Women’s safety, privacy and dignity should not be treated as secondary. We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you or relevant officers to discuss practical solutions that work for the whole community.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Elizabeth Caballero

Retired General Practitioner

Women Speak Tasmania

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