Northern Beaches Councillor Ethan Hrnjak is calling for the council to investigate the roll out of free menstrual products in high-use public toilets. Cr Hrnjak will propose a motion at the next council meeting later this month.
Cr Hrnjak, a Frenchs Forest councillor, said this would allow the area to join a growing number of NSW councils dispensing the products in public facilities such as libraries, aquatic centres and community hubs.
He has lodged the motion in response to rising cost-of-living pressures and growing evidence that a lack of access to period products is preventing women, girls and other people who menstruate, from fully participating in community life.
“Period poverty is a hidden but deeply harmful form of inequality,” Cr Hrnjak said.
“No one should miss school or work, skip sport or avoid community spaces because they can’t afford a basic hygiene product.
“This is a simple, compassionate step that removes a barrier to participation and restores dignity.”
Statewide, all NSW public schools provide free sanitary products, and the charity, Share the Dignity, operates a network of independent vending machines across the state.
Cr Hrnjak said the Northern Beaches should not fall behind on an issue that directly affects community wellbeing.
The motion calls for a report on installing dispensers in libraries, aquatic centres and pools, community centres, and high-use public toilets and sporting grounds.
“This is exactly the kind of targeted, practical support local government can deliver at a relatively low cost,” Cr Hrnjak said.
“It reduces stigma, supports participation, and ensures no one is excluded from community life because they can’t access a basic hygiene product.”