Fearful parents are calling for a backflip on privatisation plans for Bulldogs Community Children’s Centre.
But the Western Bulldogs Football Club is “not currently satisfied” the existing non-profit management “provides the best possible care and facilities”.
Early Childhood Management Services (ECMS) has been running BCCC for 15 years under a sub-lease from the Bulldogs.
Maribyrnong councillors, at their June 17 meeting, agreed to a request from the Bulldogs to remove the requirement for the sub-lessee to be not-for-profit.
This would open the door for a private provider to take over the Hocking Street centre.
The community can comment on the move until July 22 before councillors consider submissions and lock in their decision at their August 11 meeting.
“We hope the council will listen to the community’s voice and continue to prioritise public good over private profit,” ECMS acting chief executive Kate Smith said.
West Footscray parent Dylan Alexander said the change would shift the purpose of community facilities away from equity and access and towards commercial interest, setting “a dangerous precedent for how public assets are used”.
“Early childhood is a time when trusted relationships and routine matter most,” he said.
“There is worry about what will happen next, about whether the educators our children love and trust will stay, and about whether the culture of care we value will be maintained under a commercial provider.”
A Western Bulldogs spokesperson said the club requested the change “to provide certainty and flexibility regarding the continuation of childcare services”.
“This process is entirely motivated by a desire to facilitate the best possible care and facilities for children at BCCC, and our choice of provider will have to guarantee this, regardless of their ’for-profit’ status,” they said.
“We fully appreciate the connections and relationships that children and families have formed with the existing provider and its educators.
“However, we are obliged to assess the BCCC holistically and consider all options to ensure that it provides the best possible care and facilities.
“We are not currently satisfied that this is the case.”
The spokesperson said ECMS had the opportunity to bid in the current tender process and commit to the improvements the BCCC site and its services required.
