The Town of Bassendean is exploring the amalgamation of two childcare centres after scrapping plans to sell them. The decision, made at the town's April 28 meeting, follows the collapse of a proposed sale of the Wind In The Willows centres in Bassendean and Ashfield. The private buyer, Cha Cha Cha Group Pty Ltd, withdrew its $2.5 million offer in March after strong community opposition.
Community backlash forces withdrawal
Parents expressed shock after receiving a letter from the town announcing the proposed sale and giving them only two weeks to provide feedback. More than 240 public submissions were lodged during the consultation period, and around 200 people attended a special electors' meeting in March. The letter had informed parents that the Bassendean location would close mid-2026 and the Ashfield centre in late 2026.
The centres will now remain open at least until July 2027 while the town considers transferring them to a not-for-profit early childhood education provider. The council will also prepare a 2026-27 budget for Wind In The Willows to ensure financially sustainable childcare services while maintaining care standards, though parents have been warned this could mean higher fees.
Mayor emphasises stability
Mayor Kath Hamilton stated after the meeting: "Our immediate priority is stability for children, families and staff, while we work carefully and transparently with the community to secure a sustainable long-term future for Wind In The Willows." As part of long-term planning, the town will investigate amalgamating the two centres into one new facility with at least 80 places on Crown land and seek state and federal funding for the project.
The town noted that operating two separate services from older facilities with limited licensing capacities—35 places in Ashfield and 55 in Bassendean—was inefficient. Cr Hamilton highlighted issues with running the centres separately, including small capacities and legislative changes. "It has long been an aspiration of many councillors, not just this council but previous councils going back several years, wanting to amalgamate the two Wind In The Willows into a fit-for-purpose entity," she said.
Financial challenges and advisory group rejected
Cr Hamilton acknowledged that the town could not generate enough profit from the current centres to build a new facility alone. She expressed hope for state and federal assistance or a not-for-profit partner that could secure grant funding. However, the council voted against creating a family, staff and community advisory group proposed at the electors' meeting, citing governance, compliance, resourcing and liability risks.
Town CEO Cameron Woods argued that an advisory group would consume staff time and add costs. "We've run this 40 years without community involvement and the community rate the way we run it, if it's been OK for the last 40 years, why all of a sudden do you need an advisory group?" he said. A proposal from Cr Ken John to establish such a group received no support. Cr John said the community wanted collaboration: "They've been quite reasonable and they've come to us with quite an open hand gesture of 'we want this to work with you and to collaborate'. We have them knocking on our door and this is a clear sign to them that we do not want to listen."
Deputy mayor Paul Poliwka said the council's decision did not mean it was ignoring the community, but an advisory group was not the right approach. The council later voted to develop a "transparency statement" to explain its actions.
State MP urges better consultation
Bassendean MLA Dave Kelly, who attended the meeting, urged the council to keep the community informed. "One of the issues that has caused so much concern is the lack of consultation which led up to the original decision," he said. He suggested the council propose an alternative form of consultation if it rejected the advisory group. Kelly also warned that the July 2027 handover deadline was unrealistic for securing state or federal funding, as budgets were imminent and staff faced uncertainty. He asked whether the United Workers Union, which represents Wind In The Willows staff, had been consulted. Woods responded that no decision had been made at that point, questioning why the council would give 14 months' notice to a union about an undecided matter.
Pandora Sullivan, a parent of a child at Wind In The Willows, expressed disappointment that the town was not considering continuing to run the centres itself. "Wind In The Willows has served this community for nearly 50 years. It has been profitable and financially sustainable in the past," she said. "The families who use it, the staff who work in it, and the community members who value it did not ask just for it to be handed to someone else. They also asked for it to be given a fair chance to survive under the stewardship of the town that has always run it. In my opinion, that fair chance has not been given."
