Hands up who thought the council’s much celebrated $34 million Building Blocks Partnership (BBP) children’s services infrastructure project would see the closure of two highly rated council-run children’s centres?
That’s right, no hands went up. But the shocking fact is that both Coventry Children’s Centre and North St Kilda Children’s Centre are set to be closed for years according to plans going to council on Wednesday.
Most surprising is that the Coventry facility is closing for a minimum of two years, not for any upgrade but so it can be the temporary home of the community-run centres as they get upgraded. The whole Coventry community will be disbanded – including staff, students, parents and equipment – marking the end of a highly rated council service.
Even the situation for North St Kilda is drawn out, with the upgraded centre unlikely to open before 2031 – making it a five-year closure for the council-run programs.
It’s also apparent that local MP Nina Taylor was surprised by the extraordinary Coventry closure. Responding to parent concerns, she wrote to Mayor Makin to make her concerns abundantly clear:
“The $16.5 million investment in infrastructure upgrades for 6 local early childhood education centres, should not come at the expense of other centres, but rather to enhance the delivery of services in the City of Port Phillip (COPP).” (Read her letter)
Spare a thought for the staff, children and parents at the Coventry Children’s Centre who were blissfully unaware of the plan to close down their much-loved centre at the end of this year.
And how did they find out? By email on 22 July letting them know that council would be making a decision to close their centre on 19 August. (See TWiSK report)
Shock would be an understatement. Grief would be an understatement.
Sadness, then anger
In an urgently convened online information session with council officers, the Coventry and North St Kilda parents were told of the months of planning and investigation that preceded them being informed. They were told that alternatives were too expensive, council centres were underutilised and that planning was so advanced that an urgent decision needed to be made.
Multiple parents have told TWiSK that this session transformed their sadness into anger.
Many of their questions remained unanswered and much of the information provided begged more questions. (See the info slides used by council)
Parents understandably reacted poorly to being told that the rationale for closing their centre was to reduce disruption to childcare services during the construction phase.
Parents were also suspicious of the causes of underutilisation. A parent supplied this note to TWiSK:
“Coventry Children’s Centre is running at approx. 48%. But Council are responsible for this! There is a HUGE waiting list wanting to attend this centre.
Staff have let Council know that they would like more children, but would obviously need more staff. Council has denied them both.
It’s almost like Council is deliberately holding back enrolments to keep capacity down…to fit into their overall plan…”
Finally, and possibly most damning, is the revelation that alternative sites, such as the vacant and available Albert Road Child Care Centre (Evoke site), were NOT visited until after the Coventry parents raised concerns. That seriously undermines the credibility of the hastily prepared and clearly exorbitant estimate of the alternatives.
Councillors backed the plan behind closed doors
One of the key complaints of the Coventry parents is the brutal way that the decision was announced and the disingenuous dialogue that followed. This is backed up by the timeline indicated in the council agenda papers.
Councillors knew what was happening in June — before alternatives were visited. Staff were told before parents. And still, the closure plan is being presented as something other than a done deal. Please.
Timeline from agenda papers:
17 June 2026
Port Phillip City Council considers childcare decanting proposal in confidence
21 July 2026
Chief Executive Officer conducts engagement with Council staff regarding the proposal
22 July 2026
City of Port Phillip notifies families of the proposed childcare changes
August 2026
Council officers inspect the Albert Road Child Care Centre
11 August 2026
Council hosts online information session for affected families
19 August 2026
Port Phillip City Council meets to vote on the childcare decanting proposal
Meanwhile Melanie was enrolling her child at Coventry
While the cone of silence was in place at council, Melanie Swieconek was visiting childcare centres in South Melbourne to find a place for her child.
She toured local childcare options and visited Clarendon in April. They told her the centre was being redeveloped and would be moving to a new temporary location next year – at a site to be determined.
Melanie also visited Coventry and ultimately chose to enrol her child, who started attending just one week ago.
‘I completed the enrolment process and my daughter started attending. Imagine my shock when my hairdresser told me that the Coventry centre was closing,’ she said.
Melanie said she was gobsmacked and in disbelief that council allowed her to sit on a waiting list for months, complete the paperwork rigmarole, enrol her child and start using the Coventry Centre, yet no one said anything about it being slated for closure in just a few months.
This prompted her to seek legal advice and deliver a searing letter to the CEO calling for an immediate stay of action, arguing families need at least 90 days for proper consultation. In reply, a senior council officer wrote:
“Given the time taken identifying and assessing all options available to Council, time is now of the essence, and officers are not in a position to delay this matter going before Councillors. Any further delay will jeopardise Council’s Children’s Infrastructure Program and create further uncertainty for affected children and families.”
Kaboom. Bureaucratic blitzkrieg.
Data double-speak?
In August, Council tells us that its childcare facilities are significantly underutilised, especially the Coventry Centre. Birth data is also presented to show a steep decline in new local births. Both are cited as rationale for closing council services.
“Utilisation across Council-operated services is below optimal levels. Current utilisation is approximately 48 per cent at Coventry Children’s Centre, 49 per cent at North St Kilda, and approximately 58 per cent at Barring Djinang. Utilisation at Clark Street Children’s Centre is approximately 48 per cent, and at Bubup Nairm Family & Children’s Centre approximately 70 per cent. Port Phillip birth notices have declined from 949 (2022-23) to 807 (2024-25), and in South Melbourne birth notices have declined from 177 (2022-23) to 104 (2024-25).”
But in June, Council painted a very different story as it passed plans to build a new state-of-the-art, three-level children’s centre in Argyle Street to replace the dilapidated existing facility. The new centre will boast an increased capacity from 77 to 121.
Excuse me, Council. Is it a case of declining demand when you want to cut back services, and a case of increased demand when you want to expand?
From where we sit, Council says whatever is expedient at the time.
