BY ANDREW BARCLAY
The State Government has kept NSW local councils in limbo a month after the IPART review recommended forced mergers.
Raffaele Catanzariti, member of the Save Our Councils Coalition (SOCC), told City Hub that there had been a complete lack of consultation with stakeholders.
“The community consultation has been very poor and everything is just up in the air,” Mr Catanzariti said.
He said that he thought a decision on forced mergers was “imminent”.
“This is clearly about developers, big business and removing the democratic representation for citizens,” he said.
The IPART report found sixty per cent of local councils were not ‘fit for the future’ after assessing 139 proposals from 144 councils.
Few councils nominated voluntary mergers, despite the NSW Government committing $1 billion in incentives to encourage councils to merge.
Mr Catanzariti told City Hub that both the government and various councils had been pursuing legal options around forced amalgamations.
Marrickville Council recently decided to receive legal advice about their options if forced to merge.
Mr Catanzariti said he thought the government’s preferred approach would be negotiating amalgamations through parliament, as opposed to applying to the independent
Boundaries Commission, because it would be less likely to be delayed by legal challenges.
For this approach, the government would require the support of Labor or the Greens, in addition to either the Christian Democrats or the Shooters and Fishers party.
However, all have publicly opposed the move.
SOCC campaigners have argued the decision should rest with the community and not with Cabinet or the Premier.
“If the government knew what local government was about, they would realise it’s more than just cogs in a machine…it’s about communities,” said Mr Catanzariti.
Marrickville Greens Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore also emphasised the need for community involvement.
“Local councils belong to their residents, not Premier Mike Baird. The community should decide on any merger,” she said in a statement.
“The Liberal Government would like nothing more than to abolish progressive inner city councils like Marrickville and Leichhardt. It is these councils that have stood up to
WestConnex and will look out for the communities’ interest,” Clr Ellsmore said.
Yet the NSW Government remains steadfast in its plans for mergers, with Minister for Local Government Paul Toole arguing “NSW needs councils that are financially
sustainable and able to deliver efficient and effective services”. The government has argued that mergers would reduce waste and red tape.
Premier Mike Baird has poised the situation as “critical” and said amalgamations could “free up $2 billion over the next 20 years”.
Experts and campaigners have continued to question the benefits the government has put forward around efficiency and better infrastructure.
The countdown to the decision by the NSW Government has been marked by protests, as 600 people rallied on November 17 against the planned mergers in Sydney’s Martin Place.
