Please note: this is an old article
It was published in May 2013, so the information may be out-of-date.
Greater Shepparton City Council wants to hear people’s views on the region’s public toilets.
Council resolved in November 2012 to commission a report into council-managed toilets in Greater Shepparton, and hopes to have a draft Public Toilet Policy ready in June 2013.
“Toilets are a vital part of our public infrastructure,” said Steve Bowmaker, Director Infrastructure. “Council has an important role to play in providing clean, safe and accessible public toilets for the whole community.”
“The Public Toilet review will help us to develop a systematic approach to how we operate public toilets in the municipality, and will help us to develop consistent guidelines,” he said.
Mr Bowmaker said that he hoped as many people as possible from right across the community would have their say.
“Public toilets that aren’t available or aren’t up to scratch are simply a nuisance for many of us. However, for people living with a disability or caring for someone with a disability, for parents, and for the elderly or people with some illnesses, not having access to public toilets can be a significant barrier to being able to participate fully in society,” he said.
The issue of public toilets was commonly raised in the recent Council Plan community consultations, Mr Bowmaker said.
The survey includes questions about how frequently people use public toilets in the municipality, how they rate the quality of the facilities, whether people feel they are cleaned and maintained often enough, and whether they felt safe using them.
“The community has high expectations that our public toilets are accessible to everyone, are of a high standard and are suitably located and well maintained,” Mr Bowmaker said. “Participation in this survey will assist us in achieving that aim.”
The survey can be filled in online, downloaded from Council's website, collected from Council’s Welsford Street offices, the Mooroopna Community Hub and the Tatura Newsagency, or can posted out by request (phone 03 5832 9700).
Completed surveys can be returned by posting to Locked Bag 1000, Shepparton, 3632, emailing them to council@shepparton.vic.gov.au, or dropping them in to 90 Welsford Street, Shepparton, by 31 May 2013.