Swinburne, government fight leaves 50 kinder kids with nowhere to go

More than 50 toddlers and babies will lose their community kindergarten, as the Albanese government claims Swinburne University is chasing a $14 million real estate payday.

The local federal MP and Stonnington Council say talks to save the much-loved Windsor Community Children’s Centre (WCCC) have collapsed after the uni knocked back an $8 million joint offer to buy the site and keep the kinder operating from its home of nearly three decades.

But Swinburne reacted indignantly on Friday to the public attack by the government and council, with the university saying that no $8 million offer had ever been made and that the tertiary institution had worked hard to find a fair solution to the kinder’s future.

The uni also rejects the notion that it is “evicting” the centre, after giving notice nearly three years ago that it did not intend to renew the lease on the building to WCCC.

The centre’s directors say the “eviction”, now slated for December 31, will leave 80 families without childcare and 30 educators out of work and pleaded on Friday with Swinburne to return to the negotiating table.

Swinburne’s stance has infuriated the federal government, which pledged $4.3 million – with at least an additional $4 million pledged by Stonnington Council – in an election promise this year to help save the kinder as its MP Josh Burns fought for his seat of Macnamara.

Burns told this masthead on Friday that the uni’s stance was “heartless”.

A personal intervention by federal Education Minister Jason Clare with Swinburne vice-chancellor Pascale Quester has also failed.

A meeting this week between the two in Canberra was said by sources familiar with the matter but not authorised to speak publicly to have “not gone well”.

Swinburne has applied to have the site – given to the uni for free in 2013 by the state government – rezoned into a prime mixed-use development site.

The university says the state’s Valuer-General puts the property’s value at $14. 2 million, and that the only concrete offer it has received is from the federal government for $4.3 million, which would have left Swinburne nearly $10 million out of pocket.

“As of 7 November 2025, Swinburne has not received an offer and the only funding committed towards the purchase of the property is $4.3 million from the federal government, made during the most recent election campaign,” a Swinburne spokesman said.

“This is $10 million short of the Valuer-General’s valuation of $14.23 million.

“Accepting this would mean $10 million less for Swinburne to invest in teaching and learning for our students.”

In a joint statement on Friday, Burns and Stonnington Mayor Melina Sehr said Swinburne had indicated its willingness to work with the other parties to keep WCCC open, but that the uni had “changed their position at the eleventh hour and turned their back on the children of Windsor”.

Burns said the local community needed high-quality childcare.

“That’s why we committed millions to work with the City of Stonnington to keep this centre in the community’s hands, and why it is so frustrating Swinburne are being so heartless,” the Macnamara MP said.

“The families, educators, parents and community deserve better than what they are getting from Swinburne University.”

The university denied it had changed its position or negotiated in bad faith.

“Swinburne wants to find a solution that meets the needs of all parties involved,” the spokesman said.

“We have been upfront and transparent about what would be required to transact a purchase.”

The centre’s board said in a statement that the university was kicking the service out and pleaded for all parties to return to the negotiating table.

“It is a failure of Swinburne University who are kicking us out, depriving the community and profiting from the sale of a publicly zoned asset,” the statement read.

“It’s a failure of the stewardship expected of governments to ensure stable, high-quality early childhood education and care for our community.

“WCCC remains hopeful that through cooperation and leadership across all levels of government and Swinburne University, an outcome can still be achieved that keeps this vital service open.”

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