Labor raises the bar on Pyrmont childcare
Image: City of Sydney Labor Councillor Linda Scott has been a strong advocate
Calls for more childcare in Pyrmont are gaining traction, with City of Sydney Labor Councillor Linda Scott set to ask Council to look at turning a large Council depot in Pyrmont over to childcare facilities.
Ms Scott will put forward a motion at the next Council meeting on December 10 urging Council to investigate the establishment of a childcare centre at the intersection of Fig and Wattle Streets.
The move will see Labor form an unusual alliance with the Liberal Party, after Liberal Councillor Christine Forster revealed last week that she would ask Council to provide more childcare in Pyrmont at the next Council meeting. Ms Forster will argue that the fast-growing neighbourhood should receive a significant share of the $55 million dollars recently fast-tracked by Council for childcare, and is also keen to have the site at Fig and Wattle Streets considered.
Ms Scott’s motion will say, in part: “It is resolved that Council … authorises the CEO to consider use of the Wattle St Depot … for the purpose of Council providing childcare and early childhood education services in the inner-city.”
The motion will also note the importance of public education in “a fair and just society”, call on the State Government to recognise the public education needs of the inner-city, and congratulate the Ultimo community on fending off government plans to sell Ultimo Public School to property developers.
Speaking to City News ahead of what’s expected to be a robust Council meeting, Ms Scott was “thrilled that the childcare needs of Pyrmont and the inner-city generally are at long last being taken seriously”.
The Council depot Crs Forster and Scott want investigated for childcare suitability has previously been mooted as a site for childcare and/or education by the Pyrmont Action Group, the Pyrmont Community Group, and the Ultimo Parents & Citizens Association.
Ms Scott was aware of rumours of contamination on the site but said: “That would be one of the issues investigated. The reality is almost any site in the inner-city might be contaminated in some way, and clean-up methods these days are pretty sophisticated.
“The problem with providing childcare in the inner-city isn’t money – it’s finding a location,” she added.
Ms Forster, meanwhile, was happy to support Ms Scott’s motion.
“It doesn’t matter which side of politics it comes from, it’s the outcome that matters,” she said.
Living Sydney Councillor Angela Vithoulkas indicated she would support Crs Forster and Scott.
“For too long, Clover Moore has ignored the needs of the Pyrmont area in terms of services and facilities, including childcare,” she said.
“I believe it’s to do with voting patterns and the fact that her support is lower in the Pyrmont area than some other parts of the city.
“There’s a desperate need for childcare in Pyrmont and I support any moves to address that.”
The Lord Mayor was not available for comment but a City of Sydney spokesperson said: “Designs are presently being developed, in consultation with the community, for the first of … six childcare centres, at 277 Bourke St, Darlinghurst.
“The five other childcare centres would be located in areas where demand is greatest, and we will consider options in Pyrmont as part of this process.
“The City is undertaking an updated childcare needs analysis based on Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011 Census data.”
The data shows Darlinghurst is home to 226 children between the ages of zero and four. Pyrmont recorded more than double that number, with 538 children in the 0-4 bracket.
