Bungle on ABC Centre leaves parents in the lurch

11-May-2009

Julia Gillard’s promise on the sale of an ABC Centre in her own electorate has proved to be worthless – leaving local families in the lurch, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Childcare Sophie Mirabella said today.

“This is just the latest in a long line of childcare bungles and broken promises from the Rudd Government. Julia Gillard announced last month that the Altona North Centre was one of those for which there was a buyer. As recently as the 5th of May, the Receivers PPB issued a list that said the Centre had a “confirmed buyer”,” Mrs Mirabella said.

“Now parents have been advised that the sale has fallen through and given just 6 days notice. This is clearly not good enough.”

“As Ms Gillard has repeatedly stated, childcare centres cannot close in this country without 30 days notice. Ms Gillard must step in an ensure parents have adequate time to find another service.”

Mrs Mirabella said the whole process of the sale of the ABC2 Group of 241 Centres was “shrouded in secrecy, delay and incompetence”.

“Hundreds of potential buyers pulled out at the final offer stage because they weren’t provided with detailed and correct information – and, despite the Minister’s assurances last month, it now seems Centres like Altona North, which were told they had a confirmed buyer, continue to face uncertainty. This is just the latest in a long line of childcare bungles.”

Mrs Mirabella said the Government needed to explain:

• Why they have continually refused to release vacancy data that is collected every week. This data indicates areas of over-supply and demand and gives the industry some planning direction.

• Who will pay for the higher qualified staff and better staff-child ratios that their expert Advisory Panel recommended?Why is the Government continuing to push ahead with their plan to build an extra 260 Centres while more than 70 Centres have been forced to close in the past 4 months.

• Only 38 of the Government Centres have been budgeted for – who is going to pay for the other 222 and where will they be located?

“The reassurances from Minister Gillard that parents will now be taken care of ring very hollow in the light of the other assurances that Labor have made to working families in the past. And in light of what worried parents at Altona North ABC are currently experiencing.”