By ALESHA CAPONE
FAMILIES have expressed outrage at the possible closure of the Newport Children’s Centre at Victoria University which cares for around 45 children.
Last Wednesday around 50 parents, students and staff members met to discuss the potential closure.
The university’s Pro Vice-Chancellor of academic and students, Professor Greg Baxter, said the Newport campus would close at the end of the year with many courses moving to Sunshine.
The campus land will be returned to the State Government at an unknown future date.
In a media statement, Prof Baxter said staff and parents have been informed of “the likelihood that the centre will close at the end of this year”.
“Over the next few weeks the university will be engaging in a formal change planning process with our staff and we will advise staff and parents of the outcome of the child centre’s future as soon as possible,” he said.
However, at the meeting Prof Baxter said he believed the chance of keeping the centre open was “small”.
Angry parents demanded to know why they had not been informed sooner about the centre’s prospective closure with 10 weeks left until the end of the year.
Many parents said most child care places in Hobsons Bay had a two-year waiting list.
A father said the university had failed in its core business of engaging with western suburbs’ residents.
“You have completely failed the community. You’ve left us now with no option but to agitate for the centre to stay open,” he said.
“I’m really disappointed by your decision.”
Prof Baxter said the university had attempted to negotiate with the campus’ owners – the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance – to annexe the child care centre’s land so it could remain open.
He said VU also wrote to the Hobsons Bay City Council which said it held “no interest” in running another child care centre.
VU Student Operations Manager Chris Plunkett said the university would do its best to accommodate children from Newport at its childcare centres in Footscray and Werribee
