Those hoping the amalgamation of the former Dubbo and Wellington councils would be reversed under a new NSW government have renewed hope.
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A release from Local Government NSW (LGNSW) has outlined details of a meeting between members of the organisation, and deputy premier John Barilaro and new local government minister Gabrielle Upton.
According to the release one of the matters discussed was the prospect of “restoring local democracy by giving the residents of already merged councils a vote on whether to de-amalgamate”.
It is believed the government is preparing to announce that councils for which forced mergers were still pending would be allowed to stand alone, while ratepayers of already merged councils, such as Dubbo and Wellington would be given an opportunity to vote on whether they wanted to de-amalgamate.
In short, a plebiscite would be held to determine whether Dubbo Regional Council would remain as is, or go back to the old set-up of individual councils in Dubbo and Wellington.
LGNSW President Keith Rhoades said the reports, if confirmed by Cabinet, would be very welcome news for the local government sector and local communities.
“LGNSW has spent a lot of today in meetings with Deputy Premier John Barilaro and the newly installed Local Government Minister Gabrielle Upton,” he said.
“It would be inappropriate to reveal the content of those discussions, but I can certainly say they were both constructive and productive.
“I have said all along that I was confident the Berejiklian/Barilaro Government and the new Local Government Minister would listen to the people, and these reports appear to confirm that confidence.”
Cr Rhoades said the next important thing was the timing of the plebiscites for already merged councils.
“I would urge the Government to undertake these plebiscites this coming September when the residents and ratepayers of amalgamated councils go to the polls in local government elections,” Clr Rhoades said.
“It saves ratepayers money and it ensures that local democracy will truly be returned as quickly as possible.”
The news of a possible vote on the amalgamation was welcomed by former Dubbo City Councillor Greg Mohr.
A vocal opponent of the forced merger, Mr Mohr said he was happy to see the government starting to listen.
"It's about time that the NSW government started to listen to the very people who voted them in,” he said.
“It's a sensible decision which can give identity back to towns and cities which were being forced to amalgamate.
“From the onset the majority of Dubbo and Wellington residents were against this amalgamation which was evident from the public meetings and cases put forward from the public and the previous councils.
“I’m sure Dubbo can still help Wellington achieve many positive outcomes in the future however I'm even more positive that the people of Dubbo don't want their rates adjusted every year to compensate Wellington.”
