Bankstown Central

It took me some time to really think about this review. It is my local shopping centre so I wanted to really be fair with how I shared what I am about to. But I think I was considering staffs feelings more than my own experience I had had. I will give a three stars for the positive experience I did receive in relation to the incident but I also am not impressed with a few things that have stuck with me and moving on a year later no improvement has been made. When I was 6 months pregnant I was attacked in the parent room by a drug addict who was walking back and forth and screaming at people. At that current time I was using the rest room and also had my 2 year old toddler with me. I saw her through the stained glass hanging around outside my door and was scared to come out. To get right to it she ended up threatening me and grabbed me and assaulted me leaving me with bruises all over my face including a very black eye, I also had to grab her and throw her outside by her hoodie in hopes a camera outside would catch her and someone would call for help…. because I was scared she was going to hit my stomach or attack my son. Now when I had turned around while screaming for help inside the parent room (before I made it out the doors) there was a gentleman from centre management with a shaved head and glasses. I always see him walking around. He was there at the door and walked away and didn’t bother to call security or intervene, I had a screaming and crying toddler and I was noticeably pregnant. Problem number 1. Problem 2. No working cameras to protect vulnerable people including mothers who may be on their own with children or elderly people (in the corridor. Only working camera that caught the face of my attacker was outside the whole area covering all the entries of the toilet) third problem. When I was upstairs at centre management shaking and crying terrified of what had happened on the phone to my husband telling him what had happened AS ANYONE NATURALLY WOULD a lady with a hijab had the disgusting hide to come out and say to me not to be talking to my friends about what had happened… in a very judgmental way! How dare you!! The problem is now, a year later is that people are still just hanging out in the parent rooms. Teenagers coming in taking up the seats breaking the doors charging their phones… other people coming in to sit down and have a break and sit down. I find myself nursing my baby outside of the doors because I am too scared to be ina closed environment or because their are no rooms available or I don’t nurse at all if I am feeling unsafe. When this incident happened you ensured security would be up patrolling the parent rooms and that people would be kicked out if they did not have children.. and if anything it’s a lot worse than what it was a year ago. This is creating another risky environment for another incident to happen to another mother or/and child. The positive about this situation is that the security who looked after me were incredible and actually took care of me. Staff followed up with me through the next couple of weeks to make sure that I was holding up okay and I appreciate that. Please make the environment safer for vulnerable people.

Can’t even keep the area safe for parents and children! Apparently they patrol to make sure no one is ho shouldn’t be on here are in here… but every time I come there is new damage done! Put some cameras outside the door and keep vandals and drug addicts in out