{"id":537406,"date":"2026-03-13T08:40:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T08:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/537406\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T08:40:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T08:40:16","slug":"it-hurts-accessible-public-toilet-destroyed-within-24-hours-of-childrens-playground-opening-in-vic-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/537406\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It hurts\u2019: Accessible public toilet destroyed within 24 hours of children’s playground opening in Vic Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

An accessible toilet installed at Victoria Park\u2019s new Elizabeth Baillie Park precinct has been vandalised less than 24 hours after opening.<\/p>\n

A window was broken, holes punched into the ceiling, an exhaust fan ripped from the ceiling, a paper towel dispenser torn from the wall, a baby change table damaged and toilet rolls were strewn across the floor.<\/p>\n

There was also shattered glass inside and outside the toilet facility, which is now out of action until it can be fixed.<\/p>\n

There are no CCTV cameras at the toilet block but private CCTV cameras exist in the vicinity of the precinct. The Town of Victoria Park says it has requested footage to help track down the offender.<\/p>\n

Mayor Karen Vernon told PerthNow the damage was discovered by cleaners on Friday morning the day after fences around the newly completed parklands were removed.<\/p>\n

\"TheCamera IconThe exhaust fan and hand towel dispenser was ripped from the wall and the roof. Credit: Town of Vic Park\"TheCamera IconThe exhaust fan over the shower was ripped down and the ceiling punched. Credit: Town of Vic Park<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a shame to learn that it (the toilet) doesn\u2019t even get 24 hours and someone decides to do this,\u201d Ms Vernon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hurts because the park is brand new and the community has been so excited to finally use it.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople\u2019s enthusiasm was high and lots of people were chomping at the bit for the fences to come down so they could get in and use it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI happened to be there yesterday when the fences came down and almost instantaneously people started appearing, walking their dogs, cycling, just having a wander.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheCamera IconThe Elizabeth Baillie Park precinct will be opened to the public on March 14. Credit: Town of Victoria Park<\/p>\n

The toilet block also houses the town\u2019s first Changing Places facility, a specialised accessible bathroom designed for people with high support needs with a hoist, adult-sized change table, space for carers, and hospital-grade equipment.<\/p>\n

Ms Vernon said the average cost of a Changing Places facility was about $500,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy great concern is on the other side of the block, which is brand new, we have the town\u2019s first ever Changing Places facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf that gets vandalised, then we have to go through the maintenance program to repair it, which is harder, and we have to meet compliance standards and inspections for those facilities in order to be accepted and certified by the Changing Places program.<\/p>\n

\"ThereCamera IconThere was also glass all over the interior and exterior of the toilet. Credit: Town of Vic Park\"TheCamera IconThe window was smashed and glass was scattered inside on the toilet bason and on the ground outside. Credit: Town of Vic Park<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re very expensive to install and we\u2019ve waited years to get a Changing Places facility in the town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Vernon said the price of vandalism was ultimately borne by local residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day somebody has to pay for it, and it\u2019s the residents and ratepayers of Vic Park,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She said maintenance contractors had been contacted and the town hoped repairs would be completed quickly ahead of the park\u2019s official opening family event tomorrow<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Anyone with any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An accessible toilet installed at Victoria Park\u2019s new Elizabeth Baillie Park precinct has been vandalised less than 24…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":537407,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[64,63,99,505,46,18607,45],"class_list":["post-537406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business","tag-central","tag-perth","tag-southern","tag-wa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}