Buyers for ABC

By Melissa Meehan
THREE local ABC learning centres have been bailed out after being under a cloud since they were placed in administration last year.
Receivers for the ABC2 Group, Stephen Parbery and Daniel Bryant of PPB, last week announced new centre operators.
Mission Australia will take over the Cranbourne East centre, the Jerez Group will take on ABC Cranbourne and individual owner operator Mohammed Katateny will operate Brookland Greens.
“We have successfully identified a diverse range of operators including not-for-profit organisations, individual owner-operators and private operators,” Mr Parberry said.
“All new operators have met the key criteria set out by the government.”
Unfortunately for 19 centres, suitable operators could not be found and will close with the affected children to be transitioned to alternate daycare facilities.
Mission Australia’s CEO Toby Hall, said the result was a step forward in providing high quality childcare and certainty to families and communities affected by the collapse of ABC.
“Mission Australia has a long and successful history caring for children and providing not-for-profit early learning – particularly to low-income families,” said Mr Hall.
“We plan to work with families and their communities using pathways as a guide to providing high quality early learning and care with an emphasis on supporting children to make a successful transition to school.”
He said Mission Australia specifically tendered for centres in areas with a degree of disadvantage or it already had nearby services so they could become part of an established community network.”
“We tendered for these centres because we believe we can make a positive and significant contribution to the provision of early learning and childcare in Australia – particularly to low-income families,” Mr Hall said.
“Because we’re a not-for-profit organisation, any surpluses generated from Mission Australia’s centres will be returned straight back into the services to deliver better outcomes for children.”
The new centres will be called Mission Australia Early Learning centres.