The Orange seat, considered as one of the safest seats for the NSW Nationals, has been rocked by the government’s decision to ban greyhound racing next year.

Polls have suggested support for the Nationals in Orange will drop sharply because of it.

Labor Party leader Luke Foley visited Orange on Sunday and said residents of Cabonne, part of the electorate, would be given the chance to vote to overturn the merger forced on it.

Launching the November 12 by-election campaign for Labor candidate Bernard Fitzsimon, he promised a plebiscite for disgruntled residents as disappointed anti-amalgamation lobbyists in the shire vowed a court ruling on Friday was not the end of the line in their fight to maintain independence.

The NSW Land and Environment Court ruling struck down the Cabonne Council’s challenge against forced mergers, effectively paving the way for a union with Orange City Council and Blayney Shire Council. 

The former Dubbo City and Wellington councils chose not to fight their forced merger in court. 

Mr Foley said: “We will allow local communities like Cabonne to vote democratically on their future.”

He said residents would need to petition for the vote – following a process used in Queensland.

“Ultimately it’s a matter for them. We shouldn’t have a Premier dictating to the people,” Mr Foley said.

“Labor’s view is that local communities should determine their future. There is an arrogance and high-handedness from a government in Macquarie Street.”

“They are just not listening to people.”

He said the by-election gave people the chance to lodge a protest vote against the mergers and the greyhounds.

He said the community vote would not be a waste of funds as “the cost of a plebiscite is not that large.”

Mr Foley said despite Orange being “one of the safest of safe Nationals seats” he was confident of a good showing from Mr Fitzsimon.