THE Department of Defence already faces a bitter battle with the Hunter community over contamination spilling from Williamtown RAAF Base, now it has reneged on a promise to build child-care services to support its own families.
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Parents at the Williamtown daycare, pre-school and playgroup - that relocated temporarily from the RAAF base in 2017 to Raymond Terrace due to jet noise exposure - were notified on Tuesday that Defence was withdrawing its support for the services.
More than 100 children and their families will be impacted by the decision. There are 45 children enrolled in the pre-school, more than that in the all day care and about 30 in the the playgroup.
Angry parents said they could not believe Defence’s “lack of support” for its own community. It’s estimated about half of the people who use the services are Defence families.
Many said they were afraid of speaking out due to fears it would impact their careers.
“Defence promotes itself as being family friendly and offering a host of support services because families are so often being moved around and have little support,” one mother said. “It’s so terribly disappointing that they have made this decision with no consultation or regard for their own families.”
Related content: RAAF base child-care centre to close
Defence shut its child-care centres at the RAAF base in December 2016 because of concerns about the impact of jet noise exposure on children.
Since then it has helped fund services at Raymond Terrace and promised to build a Children’s Centre on church-owned land at Medowie to include a child-care facility catering for 85 children, a pre-school for at least 23 children, and a playgroup area for up to 25 children. The centre was to be completed next year.
In a letter to Defence families, Williamtown RAAF Base Group Captain Peter Cluff justified the backflip on an independent review - conducted by Grosvenor Management Consulting - that found there are more than 350 childcare and 400 pre-school places available in the “Newcastle and Williamtown” area.
It says a further 440 places will be available in the near future.
A Defence mother said the only places she could find for her son were in Mayfield and Clarencetown.
“There might be places, but they are a long way from where the service is based now,” she said.
“And four months notice is just not enough for families to make other arrangements. It’s terribly disappointing.”
Williamtown Preschool director Michelle Curtin said the centre provided a specific service for Defence families not available at other facilities.
“A lot of these people don’t have family backup and they look to the support they can get from other Defence families and our staff,” she said.
“They become part of our family, it’s a terrible shame the importance of this has not been recognised.”
Ms Curtin said she was hopeful of keeping the preschool, that is run by a parent committee, open with the support of Port Stephens Council.
Mission Australia Early Learning runs the day-care centre and confirmed Defence would not renew its lease next year.
“Over the coming weeks, we will continue to work with our Raymond Terrace families, children and staff to look at appropriate options for the future,” a spokeswoman said.
Port Stephens MP Kate Washington described the decision by Defence as “very poor form”.
“This is a specialist Defence service catered to supporting Defence families and this is Defence failing their own people,” she said.
“It is services like this that ensure that women see Defence as a career pathway.”
One Tree Community Services was previously announced to take over the running of the all day care centre from Mission Australia from next year.
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