On 28 April, ABC Northern Tasmania Breakfast aired a segment on the new all-gender toilets and change facilities at Launceston’s Northern Recreation Hub in Mowbray. The issue was introduced as controversial, with listeners’ concerns about privacy, safety, hygiene, and female-only facilities briefly acknowledged before Mayor Matthew Garwood was interviewed onsite.
However, while the segment gave the appearance of balance, the discussion itself was overwhelmingly framed through the perspective of the mayor — who has already publicly declared strong support for the design.
Prior to the interview, Mayor Garwood had posted extensively on Facebook defending the facilities, encouraging the public to “go and see for yourself,” and describing the design as “modern, safe, practical” and “just about doing things better.” His public position was already very clear before the ABC segment aired.
That context matters.
Rather than presenting a debate between differing viewpoints, the ABC segment largely functioned as an opportunity for the mayor to reinforce and normalise the all-gender facility model with minimal challenge or scrutiny.
Throughout the interview, concerns raised by women and community members were repeatedly redirected into discussions about:
- open handwashing areas,
- lighting and visibility,
- family convenience,
- disabled access,
- financial efficiency,
- acoustics and humour,
- and the idea that people simply need to “have an open mind.”
Yet the central concerns many women are raising were never seriously explored:
- Should major sporting venues still provide clear female-only spaces?
- Why were sex-separated facilities reduced or removed?
- Can fully enclosed, lockable cubicles create new safeguarding concerns?
- Were women and girls adequately consulted before these decisions were made?
- Why are objections consistently reframed as misunderstandings rather than legitimate policy concerns?
The segment also blurred together several separate issues:
- accessibility,
- family facilities,
- disability access,
- inclusion,
- anti-bullying objectives,
- and public safety.
These are important considerations, but they are not interchangeable, nor do they automatically justify replacing female-only amenities with mixed-sex layouts.
Importantly, no representative from a women’s advocacy organisation, safeguarding perspective, or opposing community viewpoint was interviewed during the segment. Although listener texts expressing concern were read aloud, there was no meaningful follow-up or critical examination of those concerns.
The program briefly referenced an Australian Christian Lobby poll claiming that most Australians oppose replacing single-sex toilets with all-gender facilities, including a reported 90% of women preferring single-sex toilets. Similar claims have been circulated more broadly during the National Construction Code debate.
Whether people agree with those campaigns or not, the existence of significant public concern makes the absence of contrasting voices in the interview even more noticeable.
Instead, the overall framing suggested the issue was largely a matter of public discomfort that could be resolved through better explanation and modern design.
Public broadcasters play an important role in facilitating difficult conversations fairly and openly — especially when community views are clearly divided. On issues involving women’s privacy, safeguarding, and public infrastructure, many listeners expect more than reassurance messaging and light-hearted banter.
This debate is not simply about whether facilities are “modern” or “inclusive.” It is about whether women and girls continue to have meaningful access to female-only spaces in public sporting environments, and whether those concerns are being genuinely heard.
Community debate deserves more than a one-sided walkthrough.
Source: ABC Northern Tasmania Breakfast with Kim Napier 28.04.26
ABC Northern Tasmania Breakfast – Interview Transcript
Sunshine Wood interviews Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood about all-gender toilets at the Northern Recreation Hub, Mowbray
28 April 2026 (approx. at the 1:36:00 mark)
Kim Napier:
There are new unisex toilets at Launceston’s new Recreation Hub. What are your thoughts on them? Do you see them as inclusive design or a step too far?
RJ says: “I love the unisex toilet idea so much I have two at home.”
Sarah says: “Hard no.”
This person, Katie, says: “Set up like the new Hub is fine. CBD are all-gendered as well.”
Mary: “So long as no one wees on the floor or loo seats, I don’t mind a bit.”
And this one from Christy: “I don’t like the fully enclosed door. A perpetrator can force a victim into one of those all-gender toilets and with the door closed and bolted no one on the outside has any idea of what’s going on inside. And all the all-gender toilets are always filthy. I have a medical condition and have to use public toilets frequently, and I’ve yet to be pleasantly surprised by their cleanliness.”
What do you think about unisex toilets? Text me on [number omitted].
Obviously there are strong opinions on both sides.
Well, Sunshine Wood headed to Launceston’s new Recreation Hub to check those loos out.
Well, they’re being rolled out in new public spaces across the country, but unisex all-gender toilets remain one of the most debated design changes in Australia at the moment.
In fact, a new poll from the Australian Christian Lobby shows most Australians are against unisex toilets.
In fact, 90% of women prefer single-sex loos.
The research comes as state and territory governments consider adopting drastic building code reforms that would allow up to half of all male/female facilities in public places — including schools, sporting venues, shopping centres and workplaces — to be replaced with all-gender toilets.
In Launceston, the new Recreation Hub in Mowbray includes unisex loos.
So Sunshine Wood headed down there to chat with the mayor in the toilets, of course.
Sunshine Wood:
A couple of firsts. First time interviewing in a toilet as me female, you as a male.
Mayor Matthew Garwood:
Yes.
Now I think it’s really important to set that premise that the location is — yeah, we’re at the Hub, the Northern Recreation Hub in Mowbray — and there has been a lot of conversations about shared facilities and all-gender, all-abilities.
And I think this is a really great example of how that can come together, and a really great example — and good on you for coming here, seeing it, and actually having a look at it before you go and jump to any conclusions.
We’re right outside these basketball courts.
Sunshine Wood:
Yeah, well they’re multipurpose.
Mayor Matthew Garwood:
Yeah. There’s some aerobics going on here. Hive of activity at this place. It is an incredible facility.
Now, I wanted to chat to you because they’re controversial, but they are becoming the norm, right?
Mayor Matthew Garwood:
I do think that this is the way moving forward and again whilst respecting everybody’s views and their experience, it’s important to acknowledge that.
But this isn’t the only offering in the building. And this isn’t the only offering that you have to come in and use the facility.
There are individual stalls separate to this shared hallway space.
I think it’s also really important to acknowledge that too. That this is a shared hallway, yes. There’s a couple of basins here and some hand dryers and that sort of thing.
But every stall is individual, floor to ceiling, with a shower, with the ability to manoeuvre a pram, with a powerpoint.
And then even the shared facilities that have the toilets, they have basins in there as well.
So you’re not having to use a shared facility.
So I think it’s really important again that you are going into one cubicle yourself.
You can identify and you can be whatever you’d like to be, whatever you would like to position yourself as — that’s absolutely fine.
That’s what you can do in your individual cubicle.
And all you do is walk through a shared common room, which is a couple of hand basins and some drying facilities.
And if you’re not comfortable, again, there are those individual stalls that you can go into and be completely private as well.
Sunshine Wood:
Do you feel safe?
Mayor Matthew Garwood:
I feel safe. I feel more safe in here than if I was to be walking through a single-gender change room like at the LAC at the moment.
So no, I think it is the way to do it.
And I just really want to ask people, just have that open mind and just come have a look.
What’s really great about this is it’s future-proofed — that if this doesn’t work for some reason, you can divide it back and have that more separation again.
But also, it’s not just about inclusion and diversity, but it’s also about doing things better financially as well.
This is obviously a far better use of space for the facility than doing that individualised approach.
Another thing that’s really important is there isn’t any waiting spaces in the shared space.
So I think that some people might have had the conception that there’s people sitting in here waiting and people are going to be hanging about the doors.
But there’s no other reason to be in the shared part than to quickly wash your hands if you want to and head out.
So yeah.
Sunshine Wood:
As a parent — I have a disabled child — and for me it’s a fantastic idea because it means me or my husband can now go in after him.
Unisex is a great option for us.
But I know people, one of their concerns is also safety. What would you say to that?
People are saying they’re worried about — and hygiene was another big one.
Mayor Matthew Garwood:
Yeah, and that’s a really important part of it as well.
And a lot of the commentary surrounding how different sexes use bathrooms differently and some are better aims than others.
And some — both sexes call each other pretty stinky in the toilet.
I’ve seen some commentary even very recently about men walking out still doing up their flies once they’ve been to the bathroom.
I don’t think that that’s appropriate.
But it’s also not appropriate to really put that stereotype around there.
If there is somebody doing it, I’d love to just tap them on the shoulder and say, “Hey, this is a shared facility.”
It’s about bringing that responsibility to the self as well.
Now if there is a mess, it’s the same with our bathrooms and facilities around the city.
If they are getting vandalised or if they’re a mess, just let us know.
That reporting system is very important to the staff and to the usability of the space and the cleanliness.
Sunshine Wood:
Yep, absolutely.
Mayor Matthew Garwood:
So yeah, make each other accountable.
Sunshine Wood:
We hope you tested out the acoustics here.
Are we talking about good bathroom acoustics?
Mayor Matthew Garwood:
I think every bathroom there generally has great acoustics from the flooring through the tiles and the brick. There’s a nice reverberation.
Sunshine Wood:
Did you try a chorus or a verse?
Mayor Matthew Garwood:
Yeah, no, I haven’t just yet.
But again, that’s the great thing about the shared facility.
You could be in one cubicle with your dog clothes, you don’t know who’s next to you.
Start a bit of Les Misérables or something and you could have everyone.
Why not?
Sunshine Wood:
I think you’re starting to think that MONA might be very much onto a model like that. Bathroom belter.
Yeah.
Sunshine Wood there chatting with Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood about the new Rec Hub in Launceston.