Parents told to pay £1,000 for their own children's art with nursery accused of 'emotional blackmail'

The scheme was portrayed as a fundraiser which would allow the debt-ridden school to pay some of their long-overdue bills, including teachers' wages.

Craigslea Community Kindergarten and Preschool in Brisbane closed last month after its funding was halted due to an ongoing investigation into claims about its administration.

However, the plea for money has sparked outrage in Queensland, with the state's leader labelling it "emotional blackmail".

Tensions at the school began to rise last month when a dispute on the board, which had been run by volunteers and parents, caused the President, Vice President and Secretary to resign.

This left the treasurer, Thomas D'Souza, as the person left in charge.

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He sacked existing staff and hired temporary workers, according to The Telegraph.

Following complaints from parents, the Creche and Kindergarten Association (C&K) paused its funding of the school.

The row took a fresh turn on Sunday, when families received an email from management at the kindergarten citing a "tumultuous" few weeks.

According to the A Current Affair programme, the email claimed the kindergarten had been recommended to go into voluntary administration as it was unable to pay off debts.

Another email then followed, which set out a plan to sell children's art portfolios for thousands of dollars.

"If you are opposed to the committee using the portfolios as a $2,200 per piece fundraiser to make up for the $40,314 owing to teachers, please complete the below,” the email read.

“Where there are members that have used the separated parents’ provision for membership, both need to send it in and jointly accept the postage charge in equal parts.”

The Department for Education said parents have a right to request work related to their child.

A spokesman said: "Under the Education and Care Services National Regulations, parents can request certain documentation pertaining to their child.

"The approved provider must make the documentation available on request,” a spokesman said.

The Department for Education and C&K confirmed the artwork had been recovered and could be retrieved from families free of charge.

A C&K spokesman said: "These important records are now available for families to collect."