Funding an adult change room through Accessible Australia
Australian Government funding can cover a large share of a new Changing Places facility. Here is how it works, how portable and fixed are decided, and what we provide for your application. Information current at 03 October 2026.
Concept image. Final design may differ.
The programme
The Australian Government’s Accessible Australia initiative is investing $17.1 million from 2024-25 to 2027-28 in accessible community spaces, including Changing Places facilities. Funding is offered in annual stages, and the final stage is offered in 2027-28.
How much it can cover
| Type of facility | Australian Government share |
|---|---|
| Portable Changing Places facility | Up to 100 per cent of the build or purchase cost |
| Fixed Changing Places facility | Up to 50 per cent of the build cost |
Which type applies to your project is decided by your state or territory and the Australian Government. We show both cases in every quote.
Portable or fixed? It turns on use
The classification follows how the facility will be used, not how it is built. A relocatable building delivered by tilt tray can be either. These are the signs that assessors and funding officers look for.
Reads as portable
- The location changes with need: a foreshore in summer, a showground for events, a home site in between
- A written schedule of locations or events
- A named storage or home site, as the application asks for
- A reason a permanent build is not possible or suitable at the site
- A sharing agreement between neighbouring councils, with the pod moved between them
Reads as fixed
- One pad for years, with no plan to move
- Permanent connections and landscaping around the unit
- A site where a permanent build was the alternative and nothing else is planned
A pod that will sit on one pad with a permanent sewer connection for years reads as fixed, at up to 50 per cent. We say that plainly, show both cases, and help you document the portable case if that is how you will use it. Three ways a council makes a pod portable in practice: rotation between sites, sharing between councils, or an events fleet.
Who can apply
Applications are made through your state or territory government, which explains the steps and deadlines. Funding goes to government entities and not-for-profit organisations. Commercial businesses cannot receive the funding, but any supplier can build and deliver the facility.
What your application needs, and what we provide
| Your application needs | What we provide |
|---|---|
| An itemised quote | A detailed, itemised quote for your pod, delivery, set-up and site options, with assessor fees, relocation and the maintenance plan as separate lines |
| The location, and for a portable facility where it is stored | Site and pad requirements so you can choose and prepare a site and name a storage or home site |
| Who builds it and who transports it | Our build and tilt-tray delivery arrangements, set out in the quote |
| A timeline for purchase, delivery, installation and opening | A dated build and delivery programme for your project, inside the funding timelines |
| How Changing Places accreditation will be met | Drawings and product information for your Changing Places assessor, and the assessment stages planned with you |
Our council information pack sets this out with site requirements and an outline layout. Tick the box in the form below and we will email it to you.
Conditions to plan for
- The facility must meet the Changing Places Design Specifications 2020 and be accredited by a Changing Places assessor before it opens.
- It must be open to the general public.
- Building or purchase must start within 12 months of receiving funding, and finish within 18 months of starting. Finished means accredited and open.
- Fixed Changing Places facilities must be listed on the National Public Toilet Map. Portable facilities do not have to be, but can be listed, and we recommend it.
What the funding does not cover
- Assessor and accreditation costs
- Moving a portable facility between locations
- Ongoing maintenance and running costs
- Works unrelated to the facility
We show assessor fees, relocation moves and the maintenance plan as separate lines in the quote so you can budget for them.
Western Australia and other states
Western Australia’s first funding tranche is fully allocated, to six fixed facilities and one portable facility. Further stages run to 2027-28. If your council or organisation has a Changing Places facility several years out in its capital works programme, a portable facility funded at up to 100 per cent may bring it forward at a lower cost to you.
Some states run published rounds for Changing Places projects and set a cap per facility; others take expressions of interest through their disability or community departments. Ask your state or territory government how to express interest for the remaining stages. We can brief your grants officer on what the application needs from us.
Private venues
Shopping centres, stadiums, pools, theatres, museums and airports that must provide an Accessible Adult Change Facility under the National Construction Code buy from their own capital. There is no grant cycle and no funding clock. See the Essential Access Pod: Accessible Adult Change Facility.
Questions
Will our project be funded as portable or fixed?
The state or territory and the Australian Government decide, and the decision turns on how the facility will be used rather than how it is built. A pod moved between locations on a schedule, shared between councils or stored between events supports the portable case. A pod that stays on one pad for years with permanent connections reads as fixed. We show both cases in your quote and help you document your plan.
Can one pod be shared between councils?
Yes. Neighbouring councils can share one pod under an agreement, with Fortitude Essentials moving and reconnecting it as a service. A written schedule of locations also supports the portable funding case.
Is the pod accredited?
Not yet, and no design can be. Changing Places accreditation is given by a Changing Places assessor to each facility once it is installed and ready to open. Our pods are designed to the Changing Places Design Specifications 2020 and target accreditation; we provide the drawings and product information your assessor needs and plan the assessment stages with you from the first conversation.
Can the pod be moved later?
Yes. It is designed as a relocatable building that is lifted back onto a tilt tray and moved to a new site. We offer relocation as a service, priced per move. Moving a facility between locations is not covered by the funding programme, so we show it as a separate line.
How much does a pod cost?
Every site, delivery and funding case is different, so we prepare an itemised quote for each project rather than publishing a price list. Site options such as the power supply and the event kit are priced separately. That quote is also what a funding application needs.
How long does delivery take?
We confirm a build and delivery programme in your quote, matched to your funding timeline.
Will the pod be on the National Public Toilet Map?
It can be listed. Fixed Changing Places facilities must be listed on the National Public Toilet Map; portable facilities do not have to be, but any facility can be added, and we recommend it so people can find the room.
Do you take deposits or payments online?
No. Registering interest or asking for a quote commits you to nothing and we do not take payments on this website. Orders are placed on a written quote and a supply agreement.
Do you work with the NDIS?
We work with individuals and organisations who may receive NDIS funding. Funding for councils and not-for-profits to build Changing Places facilities comes through Accessible Australia, not the NDIS.
Next step
Tell us where and how you would use a facility. We prepare an itemised quote and the application information for your project, and we can walk your grants officer through what the application needs from us now.
Register your interest
Tell us about your site and your plans and we will be in touch within two business days. An expression of interest or a quote request commits you to nothing, and we do not take payments online. Each pod is built to order, so we will ask about the power, water and sewer at your site and price any options separately. If you would like our council information pack, tick the box in the form and we will email it to you.
Please do not include health information about any person in this form.
Fortitude Essentials™ Essential Access Pods are designed to the Changing Places Design Specifications 2020 and target Changing Places accreditation, which a Changing Places assessor grants to each facility once it is installed. Funding eligibility and the share of cost funded are decided by state, territory and Australian Government agencies. Images are concept images from the design model and the final design may differ. Fortitude Essentials does not provide medical advice.