East Gippsland Shire Council has endorsed the findings of its Public Amenities Service Review, which sets out a new approach to managing the shire’s 88 public toilet facilities.
Mayor Cr Jodie Ashworth stated the review focused on establishing appropriate service levels for existing toilet facilities, so cleaning and maintenance could better reflect community needs and how each facility is used.
“People told us loud and clear that they want public toilets that are clean, safe and reliable. This review gives us a clearer and fairer way to manage our facilities across a very large shire, directing cleaning where it is needed most and making better use of Council’s resources,” Cr Ashworth said.
Council cleans and maintains its public toilet facilities at a cost of about $600,000 a year, and the network is valued at around $7 million.
More than 650 pieces of feedback were received during community engagement from December 2025 to February 2026. Cleanliness was the clear priority, with better cleaning the most requested improvement. Safety, vandalism, lighting and the supply of items such as toilet paper and soap were also common concerns.
The review recommends a shift from site-by-site decisions to a network-wide approach, with service levels assigned according to factors such as usage, location and prominence. The service levels will provide a more consistent basis for decisions about how facilities are managed, including cleaning and maintenance requirements.
The approach also includes:
Council’s endorsement establishes the service levels as an ongoing strategy for managing the public toilet network. Implementation will involve monitoring how the approach works in practice and using better information to guide future decisions.
The review does not propose the closure or decommissioning of any specific toilet facility. As the new approach is implemented, Council will continue to assess how facilities are used and their role within the broader network. If changes to individual facilities are considered in the future, these would be subject to further assessment and community engagement before any decision is made to understand its role in the network and assess the implications for the people who use it. The review does not commit Council to specific capital projects or spending outside the normal planning and budget processes.
Two projects are already under way. Planning is continuing an upgrade of the Port of Bairnsdale toilets – which is in Council’s capital program and part of the Port of Bairnsdale Masterplan – and construction of a toilet facility at Dejarlais Park in Benambra is due to start.
The final Public Amenities Service Review and a summary of its findings will be published on Council’s website, and participants in the engagement will be told how their feedback shaped the outcome.