NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirms Mosman, North Sydney, Willoughby councils will still amalgamate
ANTI-AMALGAMATION campaigners will continue fighting for lower north shore councils’ independence after the State Government confirmed that pending forced mergers would continue in Sydney.
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ANTI-AMALGAMATION campaigners will continue fighting for lower north shore councils’ independence after the State Government confirmed that pending forced mergers would continue in Sydney.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian ended two weeks of speculation on Tuesday when she also announced a partial backflip on the policy: regional councils’ pending mergers would cease.
“In addition to maintaining all existing mergers, we will push ahead with those councils in Sydney that are before the courts,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Mosman and North Sydney councils are fighting the Government in the courts over the merger process, in an effort to fend off a forced merger with Willoughby.
Mosman residents were surveyed by telephone on the issue this month, including a JWS survey which the Department of Premier and Cabinet paid for.
But Dennis Bobyn, of Mosman Against Forced Amalgamation, responded to a Q & A Market Research survey last week about voter intention which he believed was paid for by the Liberal Party.
“My survey was very much about voter intention; it focused almost entirely on the North Shore by-election, Jillian Skinner’s resignation and amalgamation issues,” he said.
“The issue of forced council amalgamations was raised three or four times, more than any other single issue.”
Q & A did not respond to a question from the Mosman Daily about who paid for the survey.
A NSW Liberal Party spokeswoman said the party did not comment on polling.
Save Our Councils Coalition (SOCC) president and Mosman councillor Carolyn Corrigan said the Premier’s announcement was “a very shameful day in NSW politics”.
“The entire policy is wrong; period. The entire policy needs to be scrapped,” she said.
“The Liberals won’t lose votes in the country so they appease the Nationals; do they think voters are that stupid?
“The sham has now been totally exposed by its creators; it has always been about development at all costs and politics and never about communities.
“This mishmash of a proposed fix will just get the Liberal Party in more hot water with the citizens of NSW.”
Mosman Mayor Peter Abelson was disappointed by the Premier’s announcement.
“It is extremely disappointing to hear that the NSW Government has disregarded the overwhelming views of Mosman residents and vowed to continue this drawn-out process for an unpopular program which was based on deeply-flawed reasoning and financial modelling,” he said.
“However, we remain hopeful that the Premier and her cabinet may yet change their mind in regard to the merger of Mosman Council, as our submission to the Minister for Local Government on the revised delegate’s proposal to merge us with North Sydney and Willoughby (requested by the previous Minister) has not yet been sent.
“It would be an extreme miscarriage of justice if a decision to merge us has already been made without the legally agreed process being followed.”
Mosman Council’s court action against the merger proposal for Mosman, North Sydney and Willoughby will continue in the Land and Environment Court and Court of Appeal.
Mosman Council’s action about the delegate’s revised report is expected in the Land and Environment Court on March 23, while the council’s appeal against the Land and Environment Court judgment from September 20 is scheduled in the Court of Appeal on April 3 and 4.
SOCC spokesman Will Tuck said Premier Berejiklian would regret her decision at the North Shore by-election and next state election.
“Now the fight is on with the North Shore and Manly by-elections where we will show this Government just how unjust their decision is and how the Liberals have betrayed the majority of voters in Mosman, North Sydney and every other metropolitan council that is against council amalgamations,” he said.
“We will pursue every avenue to have this decision reversed.
“In the meantime we challenge all amalgamated council administrators to prove their so-called cost savings with independent audits and professional audits carried out by the Auditor-General.
“We want the truth.”
North Sydney mayor Jilly Gibson said the Premier’s decision was “a black day” for the council.
“This is devastating news for North Sydney,” she said.
“There isn’t much we can do. The court system cannot save us.
“Only the Premier has the power to back down on this ill-thought out proposal.
“I know the Liberals have been polling locally to see how it would affect the chances of winning a by-election.
“This leaves the way open for a strong independent to win the blue ribbon seat of North Shore.
“There’s going to be a backlash in the by-election.”
North Sydney deputy mayor Melissa Clare said the announcement again proved that the Government’s amalgamation agenda was always about politics, not policy.
“The Nationals are opposed to the mergers so the regional councils are spared, whereas the city councils are to be forcibly amalgamated because the Liberal Party is pro-amalgamation,” she said.
“The Government has yet to provide any sound reasoning, logic or evidence for the council mergers and the decision makes it utterly apparent that there is none.
“The council amalgamations were a farce from the start and continue to be an embarrassment for the Government.
“For North Sydney Council it will have no impact on our strategy; we will continue to fight the forced amalgamations.
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“Our residents have consistently told us they are opposed to amalgamation and there is no evidence that an amalgamation will provide any benefits for our Local Government Area.
“The Government cannot be permitted to have their actions go unchallenged where they refuse to be open and transparent.”
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