Opinion: Why Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had to reverse high school, co-ed bathroom plan

Spare me the arguments over modern building design and diversity, the Premier had no choice but to can gender-neutral bathrooms planned for Brisbane’s newest high school, writes Jessica Marszalek.

SPARE me the arguments over modern building design and diversity, the jaw-dropping decision to fit out Brisbane’s newest high school with gender-neutral toilets was simply stupid.

Revelations by The Sunday-Mail last month that the $80 million Fortitude Valley State Secondary College would become the state’s first school wholly fitted out with gender-neutral cubicles and shared basins were met by most with disbelief.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reverses decision on unisex toilets at Fortitude Valley State Secondary College

And it wasn’t just parents who could see the potential problems that piling young, impressionable kids together in a bathroom might pose.

The new state secondary college in Fortitude Valley will open to Year 7 students this year. It will be delivered in partnership with the Queensland University of Technology and open in three stages.

In fact, a poll of more than 4000 readers showed an overwhelming number – 90 per cent – thought it was a bad idea.

Anyone who remembers their schooling years should recall the vulnerabilities of that time, when school bathrooms could be places of retreat, solace, reflection and confusion for those grappling with sexuality and, yes, also menstruation.

Throw in kids with mobile phones, bullying, poor body image, and all the other issues today’s youth are grappling with and it’s a recipe for disaster.

Class time at new school pushed back to avoid traffic issues

Among parents who discussed the issue with their kids, plenty had daughters who reported they simply wouldn’t drink water or use the bathroom at school. That’s not healthy.

And while some will scoff at that as an empty threat, a 2018 Freedom of Information request in the UK revealed female workers at the Home Office were doing just that following the installation of gender-neutral lavatories there.

It turned out women were avoiding the facilities at all costs, put off by the fact their male colleagues couldn’t be bothered closing the door.

The Department of Education said the school’s design was in line with “modern, state-of-the-art, vertical high schools in other jurisdictions”, and said the cubicles would be lockable with the surrounding areas open for “safety and supervision”.

The new high school under construction. Picture: AAP image, John Gass

But the mind boggles as to how the Education Department came to their decision without consulting more widely, or even just using their common sense.

Because at the heart of this, it isn’t an issue about modern design, or even political correctness gone mad as some have argued.

It’s simply a bad idea, and an unavoidable own goal for a Government that should be celebrating the building of much-needed new schools.

Instead, the Premier’s had to wade into the quagmire and can the idea herself.

‘Ridiculous’: unisex toilets for students at new Brisbane high school

That the school would be the state’s first with op-ed bathrooms was clearly not a milestone Annastacia Palaszczuk was ever keen to celebrate.

Confronted publicly with the news last month, her deliberately measured response barely concealed the displeasure she held.

“Look I am happy to talk to the Department about that,” she said when questioned on the apparent sudden need for Queensland children to share toilets.

“I think in our high schools we should have facilities available for both boys and girls.”

Asked directly whether she had a problem with the plan, she said: “I will be making it very clear that you should have toilets for boys and girls.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Nigel Hallett

The Premier had no choice but to reverse the decision, especially after railing so publicly against school bullying.

And before the predictable arguments come over the need to accommodation transgender students – I’m not arguing there can’t be a few unisex toilets.

But we cannot move to improve the school experiences for small numbers of students by worsening the experience for all girls, and arguable many boys as well.

Let’s use some common sense.