Disability advocates are calling for Australian councils and building owners to install more toilet facilities suitable for people with high support needs. Known as changing places, the decked out toilets enable more people to do every day activities like go shopping, eat at a restaurant or visit the beach.
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00:00 For Michael and his daughter Georgia, day trips require careful planning.
00:07 Georgia needs access to what's called a changing places toilet.
00:11 The absence of a public bathroom or a bathroom which can facilitate Georgia in a dignified way
00:18 and also a safe way for both her and ourselves often means we just can't go there.
00:24 Changing places are usually bigger than a standard accessible toilet
00:27 and have more equipment like hoists, adult size change tables and privacy screens.
00:33 Changing places are becoming more common. Australia now has 259.
00:39 Now we just need to get you into your sling Georgia.
00:42 But in a big country advocates say many more are needed.
00:46 Julie Jones runs an accessible travel website.
00:49 My readers tell me that with a changing places bathroom
00:53 they can actually stay out for a full day if they have access to one.
00:57 Since 2019 Australia's National Construction Code has required accessible adult change facilities
01:02 to be included in some public buildings based on a minimum number of users.
01:07 For example one would need to be included in a museum, art gallery or theatre
01:12 that's designed to hold at least 1500 people.
01:15 The UK introduced similar regulations in 2021 but it already had 1400 changing places,
01:22 more than five times as many as Australia.
01:25 We need many, many more. We need them in shopping centres, we need them at beaches,
01:30 all the places where people like to go and spend time with their loved ones
01:35 and stay for longer than a few hours.
01:38 The Federal Government is funding a third of the cost of new changing places
01:42 in council areas that don't have a facility, starting to create change.
01:47 [BLANK_AUDIO]