Council merger backflip splits Liberals

EXCLUSIVE: Two government MPs have broken ranks on Gladys Berejiklian’s council mergers backflip, hitting out at the Premier over the decision.

• NSW government to walk away from battle over council mergers
• Woollahra council claims victory in lengthy stoush

TWO government MPs have broken ranks on Gladys Berejiklian’s council mergers backflip, hitting out at the Premier over the decision.

Upper House Liberals Matthew Mason-Cox and Peter Phelps said yesterday dumping the planned merger of 14 Sydney councils into five entities set a dangerous precedent.

Mr Mason-Cox said the government had “betrayed” those councils that did not go to court and did the right thing by merging.

Peter Phelps condemned the backflip.

Matthew Mason-Cox spoke of a “botched” process.

While his colleague Mr Phelps said the backdown gave people encouragement to conduct “lawfare” against the government­ and oppose policies in court to force the Premier’s hand.

Ms Berejiklian’s announcement on Thursday that she was cancelling the merger of councils who were fighting amalgamations in the courts means the number of councils in NSW has been cut from 152 to 128 and the number of councils in Sydney has dropped from 41 to 33.

This is much higher than the target of 110 NSW councils and 24 Sydney councils set by former premier Mike Baird.

The councils spared the axe are the ones who challenged the decision in court. Those who chose not to fight remain amalgamated.

“I have been critical of this (amalgamations) process from the very start both in the ­Parliament and the party room,” Queanbeyan-based Mr Mason-Cox said.

“While the case for local government reform remains strong, the government has completely botched it.

“This is a classic example of weak policy implementation. It betrays all of those councils who have done the right thing and abided by the government’s original albeit misconceived decision rather than waste taxpayers’ money in the court.”

Mr Phelps was equally strong in his condemnation of Ms Berejiklian.

“All this has done is given people who opposed policy an (excuse) to (conduct) ‘lawfare’ by going running to the courts in the hope that by delay and cost they’ll get policy decisions reversed,” he said.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Minister for Local Government Gabrielle Upton arrive at a press conference to declare council amalgamations dead on Thursday.

The Shooters Party will challenge the Premier next week to go even further on her backflip, introducing legislation that would create plebiscites in already merged councils at September local government elections to see whether people want to reverse those amalgamations.

The bill has already passed the upper house and Shooters MP Philip Donato will attempt to introduce it in the lower house this Thursday.

He said it was unfair that rich city councils that went to court were spared amalgamation while poorer bush councils were forced into it.

“What’s good for the city should be what’s good for the bush,” said Mr Donato, the member for Orange. “Some councils may have not had the money to litigate.”

It can also be revealed that more than $3 million a year in council chief executives’ salaries have been preserved by the Premier’s reversal.