Former Dubbo mayors and councillors have criticised Dubbo MP Troy Grant over the forced merger of the city’s council with Wellington.
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One former councillor, Greg Mohr, has called on Mr Grant to resign.
Former mayors Allan Smith and Mathew Dickerson said Mr Grant had “refused to represent the community”. Former Wellington mayor Anne Jones has called for a plebiscite on whether to reverse forced mergers.
Mr Grant said he was focused on representing the Dubbo electorate.
The fury over Dubbo’s forced amalgamation with Wellington reignited last week after Mike Baird announced his resignation as NSW Premier.
A day later, Deputy Premier and NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro withdrew his party’s support for the policy, and vowed to prevent any future forced mergers.
Mr Mohr said “[Mr] Grant was told over and over again that Dubbo and Wellington were different”.
“Ultimately he refused to listen despite having the power to stop the merger,” he said.
“For the sake of Dubbo and Wellington, Mr Grant needs to resign as local member immediately … We need a fresh start and a member who understands what the people of the community expect.”
Mr Grant said representing Dubbo had always been his priority since entering Parliament in 2011.
“Our community has seen unprecedented investment of tens of millions of dollars in hospital redevelopments, road upgrades and education spending, among many others,” he said.
“Before 2011 we were deprived of our fair share and I have worked tirelessly since my first day in the job to transform our region.”
In a joint statement, Mr Smith and Mr Dickerson called for the Baird/Grant government’s “worst decision” – the merger of Dubbo and Wellington councils – to be reversed.
They said “Mike Baird had decided on a path forward and his deputy refused to represent the community that elected him and instead blindly followed the Mike mantra”.
Mr Grant said despite uncertainty in the community before the merger, the overwhelming feedback he has received since the merger has been positive.
“The creation of Dubbo Regional Council has seen our community benefit from a $10 million injection that has made a real difference to local organisations,” he said.
“Our towns are working together as a regional economic powerhouse … something that we all benefit from.”