Griffith Uni shuts not-for-profit childcare centres, calls in private providers

Thirty staff will be made redundant a week before Christmas, with a major Queensland university to close two childcare centres in a move that has shocked parents and academics.

Griffith University childcare centres will close the week before Christmas, forcing parents to find new centres for at least five months. Pictures: Griffith University

Parents and staff at Griffith University were blindsided this week after receiving a letter from the university’s Chief Operating Officer alerting them that 30 staff at its two long-running childcare centres would be made redundant just a week before Christmas.

The university announced on Thursday that its two not-for-profit childcare centres at Nathan campus — Tallowwood and Boronia — will close permanently on December 17, leaving 100 children without care and 30 staff without jobs.

Staff have been given eight weeks’ notice, with the centres to shut their doors on the Wednesday before Christmas, and employees asked to remain until December 19 to complete end-of-year tasks.

Griffith’s childcare operations are among the last directly run by a Queensland university.

The proposal from the university’s Chief Operating Officer Peter Bryant, circulated to staff, said the closures were part of a wider “transformation” of the university’s Brisbane campuses.

Griffith University chief operating officer Peter Bryant sent the letter to staff on Thursday. Picture: Griffith University

“In August, we shared an update about Griffith’s plans to reinvigorate our Brisbane Nathan campus,” the letter said.

“As part of this initiative, the university is reviewing assets that no longer align with our core mission of delivering high-quality tertiary education and research.”

The statement said the university “proposes to lease the centres to a high-quality third-party operator” and aimed to reopen the facilities “part way through 2026”, between March and June.

However, staff and parents said the decision effectively outsourced childcare services to a for-profit provider, ending the university’s decades-long history of providing affordable, not-for-profit early education for its staff and students.

One staff member, who asked not to be named for fear of repercussions, said families and educators were “devastated”.

The centres are located in the Toohey Forest and surrounded by bush. Pictures: Griffith University

“Some of our educators have been here for 30 years, it’s like an institution,” the employee said.

“We’ve had parents in tears today, doctors, nurses, lecturers, wondering what they’re going to do with their children a week before Christmas.”

Parents said they feared that any new operator would charge higher fees and employ fewer staff.

“The university says it’s about aligning with its mission but what kind of message does it send when they’re sacking childcare educators the week before Christmas?”

The Tallowwood and Boronia centres, nestled in bushland near QEII Hospital, have provided childcare for university staff and nearby health workers since the 1980s.

The centres have also played a role in practical education for students in occupational therapy, speech pathology and early childhood education students on placement for decades.

The letter that was sent to staff on Thursday. Picture: Griffith University

“We’re not just a childcare centre, we’re a teaching resource,” the employee said.

“We’ve got university students doing their work placements here, and families who rely on us because we’re affordable and community-focused.”

The United Workers Union and the National Tertiary Education Union have both held meetings about the proposed redundancies.

NTEU Queensland secretary Michael McNally said the university provided no business case for the closures in its proposal.

“The university has given no evidence that this service will be improved by another provider,” he said.

“This is cutting support for staff who are already overworked and stressed and, at the very least, university staff parents will lose access to these wonderful services for the first part of next year.”

In a statement, the university said it was consulting staff and the union on the proposal to cease operations at the Boronia and Tallowwood childcare centres in December.

“The centres require significant renovations in order for them to continue to meet the needs of families,” the statement said.

“It is proposed that the facilities are leased to a third-party operator with the aim that the upgraded centres be reopened in the first half of 2026.

“The centres would leverage the third-party operator’s expertise to provide a high-quality

childcare on campus, available to our staff, students, and the wider community.

“We acknowledge the impact this proposal will have on our childcare centre staff and the families who use the service.

“We are working to support staff who are impacted with a range of flexible arrangements.”