MEDIA RELEASE
Day Date Month 2015
Councilcalls on Minister to keep pledge
NSW Local Government Minister Paul Toole must uphold his written pledge not to amalgamate his local council, or any other council in NSW, <Council> <Mayor> said today.
<Mayor> said Minister Toole pledged in writing that Oberon Council would not be forced to amalgamate with Bathurst Regional Council under a Liberal/National Government.
“This written pledge was given to former Oberon Mayor Keith Sullivan back in 2011 when Minister Toole was running for the seat of Bathurst,” <Mayor> said.
“In newspaper coverage of the event, the then-candidate said: ‘A Liberals and Nationals Government will also ensure there are no forced council amalgamations’.
“<Local Government Area> now calls on the Minister to keep his word, not only to Oberon Council, but to all councils in NSW.”
<Mayor> said Mr Toole had solemnly promised that the Liberal and National Parties were committed to leaving amalgamation decisions in the hands of local government authorities.
The Minister also said planning powers should be returned to ‘those who have the local knowledge at hand and the interests of the community at heart’.
“The Minister now says the forced amalgamation of councils has been in the works for four years,” <Mayor> said.
“So you’d have to ask whether he was genuine when he made that written promise to Oberon Council, or whether it was an empty pledge just designed to ensure his election.
“On behalf of the residents and ratepayers of <Local Government Area>, I’m now calling on the Minister to stand by his promise, and not force amalgamations on councils that are financially sustainable and have the support of their communities.”
<Mayor> said the State Government had clearly failed to convince <Local Government Area> residents that forced amalgamation was a good idea.
“The majority of our residents and ratepayers feel <Council> is doing a good job, with <xx> per cent indicating they don’t want to merge,” <s/he said.
“They don’t believe that the Mega Councils proposed by the Government – councils that will have populations sizes as large or even larger than Tasmania – have the capacity to address or even care about local issues.
“Local Government is the only way the majority of ordinary individuals can have a direct input into the future of their neighbourhoods and the way they live their lives – and they don’t want any sphere of Government riding roughshod over this right.
“They don’t want to be forced to give way to big developers, or to see their lifestyles impacted by decisions into which they have no meaningful input.
“Both the Government and the Minister would be wise to listen to the community on this issue, and to think twice before they force financially sustainable Councils to merge.
“It’s our Council, our voice and our choice.”
Attachment: Media coverage of Paul Toole’s written pledge of no forced amalgamations
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