By Bonny Burrows
Cardinia Shire Council has “ignored” the voices of 584 signatories to a petition, and signed its controversial kindergarten management contracts.
In July, a petition calling on the council to revisit the tender process, remove “exorbitant” licensing fees and give current providers Kinders Together the opportunity to continue to manage local kindergartens was submitted to councillors.
The petition has been endorsed by parents, staff and community members who want to be consulted in the tender process, and in the meantime see Kinders Together continue to manage the services. However, the council isn’t budging on its decision to award management contracts to providers, Bestchance and Early Year’s Management Services (EYMS).
In its 21 August general council meeting minutes, in response to the petition, the council states it has determined “the issues raised in this petition have been on the whole considered and responded to” through the council resolution on 17 July 2017 to remove One Tree as a provider and through communication to the community through the process.
It confirmed providers Bestchance and ECMS had since signed documentation securing their positions as the shire’s kindergarten management providers.
Petition organiser and Andrews Community Kindergarten Parent Advisory Group president Sharyn Ling said despite the council’s belief, issues had not been resolved.
“They talk about the issues being resolved through the meeting on 17 July, and the motion put forward on 17 July by council,” Ms Ling said.
“However, they only responded to one of the concerns the community had raised, regarding One Tree making the staff redundant in this particular EOI.”
The mother-of-five said she had “lost all faith and trust” in the council, who had “made it clear that council choice comes above community voice”.
“I do not believe that giving parents back the right to have a voice for their children and their kindergarten is too much to ask,” Ms Ling said.
“After all, at our centre, the parents have had a voice for over 30 years and have been active in our community over that time. It is inconceivable that we have now lost our voice to council.”
She said the petition’s numbers were just a fraction of what could have been signed if the tender announcement hadn’t been “strategically timed” with school holidays.
“Due to the strategic timing of the EOI announcement, the signatures on the petition were collected over the school holidays and not while kindergarten was in session,” Ms Ling said.
“Despite this, we had 584 signatures on the petition over a 10-day period for the purpose that the tender process is revisited and that Kinders Together are given the opportunity to continue managing the kindergarten within Cardinia Shire Council to ensure we have consistent and exceptional EYM.”
In its refusal to meet the petition’s demands, the council argued such actions would be inappropriate.
“As the majority of councillors voted for the appointment of Bestchance and ECMS, council does not consider rescinding the motion would be appropriate,” it states.
“Further, the decision has been actioned by the chief executive officer and the motion cannot be rescinded.”
Despite this, the council said it would take on feedback obtained during the tender process in making future kindergarten management decisions.
“Learnings have been acknowledged and the development and implementation of the early years’ management provision from January 2018 has been informed by the learnings and will be strengthened as a result,” the response reads.
