TOILET DEBATE

THE Allan Labor Government has dismissed concerns from some parents about new gender-neutral toilets at Clifton Springs Primary School and also dismissed criticism from a local Liberal politician.

In the new toilet block, the school has replaced the girls’ and boys’ bathrooms with a unisex bathroom featuring three female, three male, and two unisex cubicles, and shared washroom facilities.

Some parents at the school are unhappy with the new arrangements and have started a petition on change.org calling for separate girls’, boys’ and unisex bathrooms.

As of Wednesday this week, the petition had nearly 2,000 signatures, but it is unknown how many of those who have signed are members of the school community.

In an update on change.org, head petitioner Jessica M. wrote “We want inclusion. We want safety. And we want a school we can continue to love being a part of. Our kids deserve to feel safe at school and right now a lot of them don’t.

She claimed “multiple families” have “either taken their kids out of the school or are keeping their kids home until the issues are rectified, and there are parents who had their children enrolled for next years prep classes withdrawing their enrolment due to the new toilet blocks and their lack of privacy and security”.

Victorian Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson is supporting the opposition to the gender-neutral toilets, and attended a small rally held in Clifton Springs earlier this month.

“I share parents’ concerns about gender-neutral toilets in schools which put the privacy and dignity of girls and boys at risk, particularly during puberty,” Senator Henderson said.

“The right of girls to access female-only spaces such as toilets is a fundamental human right. Boys, too, have this fundamental right.”

Senator Henderson said two Clifton Springs parents had been threatened by a senior officer from the Department of Education “who claimed flyers to promote a rally… against the toilets constituted ‘abusive or offensive material, intended to cause harm to an individual [which] may constitute the criminal offence of stalking’.”

“The two parents did not create the flyer but distributed it to some community members including via social media.

“Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll must immediately apologise to these mothers who have raised legitimate safety and privacy concerns about forcing boys and girls in primary school to use the same bathroom facilities.”

In response to Senator Henderson’s comments, Mr Carroll said: “An overwhelming majority of the families supported the design of these toilets that include unisex male and female and then a shared washing hand basin.

“I think Senator Henderson should spend less time on the location of the toilet taps at primary schools and reflect on the years of neglect our schools suffered under the former Liberal Government.”

The Department of Education had not responded to questions about the gender-neutral toilets as this newspaper went to press.