Anti-council amalgamations activists pleased with reply from Buckingham Palace — although Her Majesty cannot intervene
CAMPAIGNERS against forced council amalgamations are happy that the Queen knows their plight, despite her being unable to intervene.
Mosman
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PASSIONATE anti-council amalgamations campaigners are happy with the outcome of their letter-writing campaign to the Queen after a representative for Her Majesty responded.
Last year, Mosman residents Will and Jacquie Tuck helped to co-ordinate the approach to the Queen by several NSW communities hoping Her Majesty would intervene in the merger process.
They gathered almost 500 letters from residents affected by forced council mergers and posted several representative letters to the Queen.
Buckingham Palace finally responded in a letter dated March 28.
The letter states: “While careful note has been taken of the views you express, I must explain that this is not a matter in which The Queen would intervene. As a constitutional Sovereign, Her Majesty acts through her personal representative, the Governor-General, on the advice of her Australian ministers and, therefore, it is to them that your appeal should be directed.”
Mr Tuck, a member of Save Our Councils Coalition, said the letter arrived on Friday last week.
“What we wanted from all of this was for the Queen to know what the issues were, that we are upset about, in her territory, the Queen’s territory,” he said.
“All of our people will be most grateful by that, because that’s what they wanted.
“They knew she could not do anything, but they just wanted her to know.
“The Queen has taken ‘careful note’ that we have expressed these views.
“The next plan is to write to the Governor-General (Sir Peter John Cosgrove) because the Queen thinks that he’s the person to go to.”
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Mr Tuck said he wanted to particularly thank fellow Mosman residents for their letters.
“There were more than 140 of them protesting against council amalgamations,” he said.
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