Unlikely alliance shakes up Leichhardt Council
Image: Members of the gallery protest amalgamations. Photo: James Ryan.
By Joe Bourke
Leichhardt’s Labor and Liberal councillors controversially voted in favour of a rescission motion proposing that council consider a merger of Leichhardt, Ashfield and Canada Bay last Tuesday June 2.
While the motion notes that council should restate “its unambiguous preference and intention to stand-alone”, it later makes a point of noting the NSW government indicate a clear intention to amalgamate councils.
Speaking to City Hub before the meeting, Independent councillor John Stamolis attacked the councillors responsible for the motion.
He said that although the merger option was presented as a “plan B”, it was a political play.
“This is not a fall back position. You don’t go to these lengths, you don’t turn away from the community, Labor and Liberal councillors do not secretly meet without informing the community or other councillors, and they don’t put forward urgency motions and extraordinary meetings unless this is their primary position,” he said.
“This is their one and only opportunity to create a large council that is Labor and Liberal dominated. It is about their political future and they are desperate.”
Canada Bay and Ashfield are historically stronger for the ALP and the Coalition than Leichhardt.
Residents and activists packed the gallery of the extraordinary council meeting to protest the motion and present their arguments to council.
More than ten members of the public spoke about the motion, with not one person speaking in its favour. In the following debate about the substantive motion, three people voiced their support for it.
Among the speakers was heritage expert and retired barrister Phillip Jenkyn OAM, who urged the councillors in favour of the motion to reconsider their stance.
“The way for the future is not to destroy councils that work like Leichhardt council, the way for the future is to support councils like Leichhardt and to encourage all councils to work with their surrounding councils on true regional matters and on efficiencies where that is relevant,” he said.
Labor councillor and former mayor Darcy Byrne moved the motion, and said the debate of the evening was good for democracy but the motion needed to go ahead.
“It doesn’t bother me that a lot of people disagree with me, but I am happy to have a lot of our citizens here to participate,” he said.
“With that I’m happy to say that I’ve taken on board all of the sentiments that everyone has expressed and I’m happy to move on with the motion.”
When the motion was passed, the gallery booed and many members of the public yelled “rats” and “betrayal”.
