More than 100 members of the Telopea Park School and Manuka Occasional Childcare Association communities have expressed their anger over a proposed Manuka land swap at a public meeting on Wednesday night.
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Bureaucrats from the Education and Training Directorate and Land Development Agency came under fire over a lack of consultation with the school and childcare centre over plans to transfer Telopea's tennis courts to MOCCA so MOCCA's prime Manuka land can be developed by the Canberra Services Club.
MOCCA does not want to leave its current site and Telopea does not want to give up its sporting facilities.
Parents and Citizens president Paul Haesler said many of the questions of the evening went unanswered and there was widespread anger at ACT Education Minister Joy Burch for failing to fight for the school's right to keep its land.
"Minister Burch should resign for failing to stand up for Telopea Park School and stopping this land transfer the way that then Education Minister Barr did in 2008," Mr Haesler said – a reference to three previous campaigns to fend off government attempts to reclaim the school's tennis courts carried out since the 1970s.
School community members wanted to know whether the directorate had given any consideration to the impact of the loss of land for such a large school - and why it had not been measured.
There were also grave concerns about the viability of the MOCCA which has clearly stated to the Government that it cannot afford to develop or lease the new site as it currently runs on a not-for-profit model of community care.
The issue has been gathering steam since February, when the Government announced its plans to give MOCCA's Flinders Way block to the Canberra Services Club, which was destroyed by fire three years ago.
Telopea Park School has been offered $800,000 for the loss of its land.
Mr Haesler said one of the most pressing issues was a lack of transparency over the deal.
"How is it that land titles have already changed hands and only now a due diligence process is taking place without planning processes being completed, or impact assessments such as traffic impacts being done?"
During the meeting the LDA agreed to report back on what other options for MOCCA had been considered, including the three options presented to the French Australian Preschool in 2008 when they were being faced with relocation, which were in Griffith, Red Hill and Narrabundah.
"We were grateful for the opportunity to learn a bit more about the government's plans. However we remain concerned about the process by which these plans were arrived at, and the future of the school's land," said Mr Haesler.
MOCCA has accepted an offer of financial analysis by KPMG, provided by the ACT Government.
Director Robby McGarvey, who attended last night's meeting, said she hoped the report would illustrate the need for future government financial assistance in keeping MOCCA operating under an owner-occupier model.
"There is a tremendous amount of sadness in the Canberra community that MOCCA is being forced out of its beautiful garden surroundings. If we could have the choice, we would want to stay here."
"We also understand this is Telopea's fourth campaign to keep their tennis courts, and we would never want to encroach on their land where we are not welcome."
