Lia Spencer
A CASEY councillor has been accused of giving parents “false hope” after a meeting was held last week to discuss the future of the City of Casey Childcare Complex.
Councillor Rosalie Crestani pushed for the meeting to be held on Thursday after parents signed a petition against a council decision to close the Narre Warren centre at the end of this year.
Cr Crestani said fellow councillors have blamed her for giving parents “false hope” because a resolution had already been made, but Cr Crestani said councillors may have rushed their decision and she wanted to give parents an opportunity to voice their concerns.
City of Casey Mayor Amanda Stapledon said the decision to close the centre was based on a decline in the demand for the service and the age of the building which did not meet the needs of a modern family and children’s service.
Laura Germano, whose two young children attend occasional care at the centre, said she wanted the centre to stay open and was optimistic but said her hopes were quickly dashed at the beginning of the meeting.
“The opening address at the meeting was that a decision was made and would not be reversed.
“In my head I just thought ‘well, what the hell are we doing here then? Why are we holding a meeting?’” Ms Germano said.
“They ended the meeting saying they would re-look at the matter but I don’t know if that is just getting our hopes up again.”
Ms Germano said when she first heard of the closure, she was angry and in disbelief.
“I was angry because we didn’t know anything about the closure until a decision was made.
“I was in disbelief because I couldn’t understand why they would close the facility down.
“I am a ratepayer and pay for a lot of things through rates that I don’t use, but I understand there is a need for them and am happy to pay.
“But this is the one thing in the community that the council offers that I actually use.”
Another parent, Stacey Dunlop, said her kids, aged four and three, have been going to the childcare centre since they were born and was now worried that she would have to travel to the City of Dandenong to find a centre which offers occasional childcare services.
Ms Dunlop praised the staff at the childcare centre and said their professionalism and friendliness would be hard to match anywhere else.
Cr Sam Aziz said he thought the closure was needed and the arguments for keeping it open at the meeting were not efficient.
He said there were 54 childcare centres in Casey, 34 which had vacancies, and many that offered occasional child care.
He said councillors should not vote for something to be closed then not support the decision.
Director Community Services Greg Wood said that the future use of the building had not been determined, but was subject to ongoing budget discussions and this information may be available with the release of the draft budget for public comment.
He said the council had met with the affected staff members and could confirm that all staff would be offered alternative employment at the council.
