It has been one month since the Australian National University’s (ANU) shock announcement to close our four beloved, long-standing community childcare centres, and cracks in the university's processes are becoming more evident.
When it announced in June 2024 it would close these four centres at the end of 2024, ANU claims it made this decision following external heritage advice which found remediation works would impact the heritage value of the buildings that house the childcare centres.
This external advice was dated October 2023. Instead of immediately consulting with affected staff and families and relevant government bodies about the issues identified with the buildings, ANU instead began work to construct two new “purpose-built” demountable structures to be used as childcare centres from 2025.
ANU withheld this external advice for nine months and only released it following ACT Senator Katy Gallagher's public statement urging ANU to share this information with the community to support an open and transparent process.
The external advice was provided by GML Heritage, who was contracted by Construction Control, the company engaged by ANU to lead the construction of the new "purpose-built" childcare centres. ANU has stated publicly these new centres are at a cost of $8 million.
Construction Controls’ dual role raises issues of potential conflict of interest, especially with the advice by GML suggesting ANU change the use of the buildings for purposes other than childcare centres – a recommendation completely lacking clarity.
The advice by GML does not outline any reason that the heritage buildings cannot continue as childcare centres, nor does it provide any scope of works or estimated costings for remediation. Also absent is any reference to scope of work and estimated costings required to convert the buildings to office space to prove how remediating the buildings and maintaining them for childcare services would be more difficult and more costly.
The report also fails to provide any information on how remediating heritage buildings for office space would make adults less susceptible to lead paint dust and bonded asbestos than children. Simply, there is no business case to justify closing these four childcare centres. In fact, remediating the heritage buildings into office space would trigger upgraded compliance requirements to the National Code of Construction. This does not appear to have been factored into the advice from GML.
Parents are concerned ANU is misusing the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to evict the four existing community centres to give way for a commercial provider (or two) operating out of the two new “purpose-built” demountable style buildings. The Act is explicitly in its intention to protect sites of heritage value.
Parents are also concerned that the ANU has not done its due diligence in discussing their proposed actions with the responsible governing agencies, including the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and the Minister for the Environment and Water. ANU confirmed in a statement to the Canberra Times that these discussions have not occurred.
Parents are urging ANU to seek a second opinion from another independent expert. Parents have heard from experts who have suggested more conservative remediation approaches are possible to safeguard both children and adults, allowing these buildings to continue to be used for childcare services while also maintaining their heritage integrity. Parents are deeply disappointed with ANU's lack of due diligence in investigating a solution that would offer a positive outcome for all impacted.
Among the construction happening, one of the two purpose-built buildings has already been completed by Construction Control. It is situated in the carpark of one of the current childcare centres. The building features limited outdoor play space with only artificial turf. Despite the demountable structure being built for temporary use only, with regulatory body CECA (Children’s Education and Care Assurance) providing in-principle approval for its use for six months only, ANU is inviting tender proposals to provide childcare services from these structures on a permanent basis.
A survey of parents across the four centres found 66 per cent are not willing to send their child to a centre located in a demountable-style building. ANU has begun last week to offer parents ‘tours’ of the completed demountable structure with some parents reporting the structure looks more like a ‘prison’ than a childcare centre.
ANU has given families a short six months’ notice to end operating licenses and only three weeks for existing childcare centres to submit detailed proposals about how they would operate high quality services from one of the new structures. The reasons for these very short timeframes remain unclear. The heritage advice ANU is using does not flag any immediate dangers or safety issues that are contributing to ANU’s sudden urgency. These timeframes are being put on centres despite hailstorm damages causing the remediation works dating back to 2020. These childcare centres have been collectively providing high quality care for Canberra children for 178 years – and families are concerned by the pressure from ANU to rush into a tenancy agreement for the new demountable structures.
Despite ongoing public and political pressure urging ANU to extend licenses to engage in meaningful consultation, families are disappointed by ANU’s lack of genuine engagement. Since this petition launched, we have received over 5,200 signatures and 130 testimonials.
As Independent Senator for the ACT David Pocock said in his statement to the Senate, there are “challenges the ANU has identified with the upkeep of these centres in heritage buildings, but these are challenges they need to work with the community to overcome.” The solution should not be to close the much-needed community-based, not-for-profit centres, causing the displacement of over 225 children and families, or pushing them into demountables in carparks.