Published On: 21/07/2016

Equality in the workplace, period
By Councillor Mandla

It is resolved that:
(A) Council Note:
(i) Women aged between 14 and 54 make up one third of Australia and;
(ii) in four weeks during 2014, 3.2 million Australian women aged between 14 and 54 bought sanitary pads (50%), tampons (33%), 1.6 million bought panty liners (24%) and 1 in 10 women bought all three feminine hygiene products in an average month,
(iii) on average, one women will use 20 tampons per cycle;
(iv) on average, women, who make up the majority of people who use sanitary products, earn $262.50 per week less than their male counterparts, and they are also statistically at greater risk of living below the poverty line.
(v) 86% of women in America said they have been caught without the supplies they need in a public space, 79% of women said they were forced to improvise with toilet paper
(vi) On Tuesday the 24th of June, 2016, New York City Council unanimously voted to provide menstrual supplies to all city public schools, prisons and homeless shelters and;
(vii) In Columbus, Ohio, former Councillor, Elizabeth Brown pushed for restrooms at the city’s recreation centres and community swimming pools similarly supplied, as well as the public schools.
(ix) In Wisconsin, legislators have introduced a bill that would make free sanitary products available in restrooms in all public state buildings, including schools.
(x) university students in America have invented an app where users can dispatch for a sister to come to the rescue on Harvard’s campus.
(xi) on Tuesday the 1st of March, 2016, Bristol company, Coexist, announced a “Period Policy” that allowed women in their employ who are suffering from menstruation pain to take time off and recognise this as part of their sick leave policy,
(xii) providing free tampons for one person is going to cost about AUD$7.74 per staff member, per year,

(B) the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:
(i) Be the first Australian council to inspire Australian organisations to join the City by providing free and easily accessible sanitary items in their bathrooms, in this instance of all City of Sydney workplaces, for all City of Sydney staff,
(ii) Be the first Australian council to lead Australia by providing free and easily accessible sanitary items in libraries and homelessness facilities for the homeless;
(iii) Be the first Australian council to lead Australia by providing free and easily accessible sanitary items in all sporting facilities, i.e., public pools, indoor and outdoor sporting facilities