Swinburne University of Technology has been working since January 2023 to find a solution for the future of its property at 131-133 Union Street, Windsor
We have been transparent about our intention to divest this land and not renew the five-year lease with current tenant, Windsor Community Children's Centre (WCCC) when it expires on 31 December.
Over the past three years, Swinburne has provided regular updates to WCCC and offered opportunities for the State Government and local council to purchase the property.
As of 7 November 2025, Swinburne has not received an offer and the only funding committed towards the purchase of the property is $4.3 million from the Federal Government, made during the most recent election campaign.
This is $10 million short of the Valuer-General's valuation of $14.23 million. Accepting this would mean $10 million less for Swinburne to invest in teaching and learning for our students.
To put that figure into context, $10 million could pay for the training of more than 700 people to study a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, at a time in which the State Government is implementing an early childhood workforce strategy to enable the rollout of their Best Start, Best Life reforms.
Stonnington Council has spoken about contributing up to $4 million towards the purchase of the land, however they have not put an official offer forward.
We have also undertaken a rezoning process to enable a sale that could still allow childcare services to continue.
After extensive public hearings, the Government Land Standing Advisory Committee submitted its report to the Minister for Planning in October 2024. The report remains unactioned.
Swinburne wants to find a solution that meets the needs of all parties involved. We have been upfront and transparent about what would be required to transact a purchase.
Stonnington and the Federal Government want Swinburne, whose closest campus is on the other side of the Yarra, more than 8 kilometres away, to prioritise the needs of a few dozen families, above the interest of its students.
Swinburne will always prioritise the interests of its students first.
There is still time for a concrete offer to be made and for the land to be purchased. But this will require all three levels of governments to actually work together, not just talk about it.
Read Swinburne's previous statement correcting the record on the Windsor property here.
