By Peter Douglas and Bonny Burrows
Gembrook MP Brad Battin is seeking the reinstatement of ousted local early years management organisation, Kinders Together.
Mr Battin has started an online petition that asks members to show their support for Kinders Together, which has failed to win Cardinia Shire Council’s support for a new tender to manage the shire’s preschools.
This includes preschools at Emerald and Avonsleigh.
At council’s 17 July general meeting, council did decide to overturn a decision to outsource some preschool management to Western Australia-based organisation One Tree, but opted to stand its ground on the Glen Waverley-based Bestchance.
The decision follows a community information session in mid-July, organised by members of the Keep Kinders Together campaign, and a kindergarten meet and greet where councillors stepped inside their local centres to hear first-hand from concerned staff who feared they would lose their jobs come next year.
In encouraging the community to support the petition, Mr Battin said council shouldn’t have supported a “flawed” process.
“The council admitted the process was flawed and there was no consultation with you as parents about your child’s education or welfare,” Mr Battin wrote.
“I cannot understand why any councillor would support a flawed process rather than start again and ensure your voice as a parent is heard.”
Parents, who have joined together to form the Keep Our Kinders Together campaign, are outraged they were not consulted on a process that directly impacted on their children’s future and are devastated that what they said was the council’s “neglect” could place their children “at risk”.
At the council meeting, the debate centred around a lack of consultation in the process.
Ranges Ward councillor Jeff Springfield said the manner in which the organisations were chosen was “flawed and inadequate” and added he wanted to see the process started again to include the community.
Although he wasn’t sure if a do-over would result in a different outcome, as “I am confident Bestchance outperformed all other candidates”.
Mayor Brett Owen also voted to recommence the process, saying he thought council had “failed to communicate”.
“As a father myself with a child who goes to kindergarten … I won’t be supporting this process,” Cr Owen said.
“With such a big change like this, you need to bring the community with you. If you can’t get it right, you can’t get the end result right.”
To view Mr Battin’s petition, view www.bradbattin.com.au/keepourkinderstogether/.
