In Queensland, one local government has decided that there are not enough toilets for women. And it's going to do something to improve the situation.


WOMAN: Especially when you're in a hurry, you got things to do and you've got to stand there for ten minutes and wait. It's awful yeah.

WOMAN: If there's an urgent need you really are ah, in trouble.

PETRIA WALLACE: It's a universal pain in the proverbial. Women queuing for public toilets while men are out in a flash.

PAUL TULLY: Well look it's a bit small. You've got a couple of female toilets. The third one which is just for staff only. It's not very adequate compared with the male toilets next door with the couple of urinals and the regular toilet and there's times like when the movies finish when it's just jam packed.

PETRIA WALLACE: Councillor Paul Tully has made it his mission in life to rescue the women of Ipswich from time-wasting toilet queues.

PAUL TULLY: For all future developments, for the major centres sporting venues and so on shopping centres, they'll have to provide double the number of female toilets compared with the number for men.

PETRIA WALLACE: Ipswich city is the first council in Australia to introduce the change.

PAUL TULLY: Well this is the site for a new major regional shopping complex, it will probably be the first development caught by the new rules.

PETRIA WALLACE: Paul Tully says you don't have to be Einstein to know the change is long overdue.

PAUL TULLY: The guys can be in and out in a flash. But the women can't do the same thing.

PETRIA WALLACE: And it looks like loos could be a vote-catcher with women.

WOMAN: Very good idea.

WOMAN: We actually go into a cubicle and we usually have more clothing to remove. So yeah.