"The office of the Ombudsman visited a regional town as part of its Regional Awareness and Accessibility Program. During the visit, members of the community raised concerns about the lack of access to public toilets and drinking water fountains or taps in the town. The Ombudsman took written complaints during the visit to enable the office to investigate the issue.
In response to the Ombudsman’s enquiries with the local government, the local government provided information about the current availability of public toilets and drinking water in the town. The local government explained some public toilet facilities normally open during the day have been kept locked over recent months due to staffing issues. The local government said it was rostering necessary staff and had commenced a planning exercise to install additional drinking fountains through the town.
Following the Ombudsman’s investigation, the local government confirmed that it would be opening the locked public toilets, had started remediation of a public toilet, and has repaired a broken water fountain. The local government also said it is undertaking a review of toilet facilities and water fountains throughout the town to inform funding needs and the future works program."