THE NSW government has decided the future of Playmates Cottage childcare centre before the Parliament has had a chance to debate the issue.
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A petition against forcing Playmates to leave its home at Dubbo Hospital is due to be debated in the NSW Parliament on September 18.
More than 10,000 people signed the document.
The Western NSW Local Health District last year gave Playmates notice it would have to leave as part of the redevelopment of the hospital when its lease ran out.
A Save Playmates Cottage group organised the petition asking for a master plan for the hospital that did not "include the demolition" of the centre.
Petitions were "one of the most traditional Parliamentary processes" and were the only means by which an individual could directly place grievances before the Parliament, according to the NSW Parliament website.
Health minister Jillian Skinner spoke of assistance for non-profit Playmates and the benefits of the hospital redevelopment when asked if a decision to require Playmates to leave the hospital after December 2016 should have been made before the petition came before Parliament.
"Western NSW Local Health District and Health Infrastructure are providing support to assist Playmates Cottage to find and plan for a new centre," she said.
"The redevelopment of Dubbo Hospital is my absolute priority to ensure patients from the region are receiving first-class care in a first-class facility.
"Dubbo deserves a state-of-the-art hospital, which is why the NSW government is committed to building it and I'm very pleased much progress has been made in the $91.3 million redevelopment as well as the planning for the next stages of building."
Last week Dubbo MP Troy Grant said "the reality of the situation is that beyond December 2016 the expansion of the hospital means Playmates really does need to find a new home" and he pledged to find funding for a "bigger and better Playmates Cottage".
Charles Sturt University political science lecturer and researcher Dominic O'Sullivan this week reflected on the issue.
"It's not a good look for (Dubbo MP) Troy Grant and the health minister that they haven't given the Playmates Cottage people the chance of airing their concerns before the final decision is taken," he said.
But he also warned that petitions may not deliver results.
"The point is Parliament doesn't have to agree with the petition," he said.
"It's a way of people expressing an opinion but ultimately it's rarely the most significant part of the decision-making process.
"It's still worth it (pursuing the petition) - certainly ministers and Members of Parliament are influenced by public opinion and 10,000 signatures from Dubbo is not insignificant.
"But it has to be balanced against the public interest and public support for an expanded and upgraded hospital.
"If Troy Grant is attuned to public opinion, he will take the petition into account in the representations he makes on behalf of his constituency."
