Bayside Council: Plan to de-amalgamate council with ‘two different communities’

Plans have been revealed to de-amalgamate a council in Sydney’s south as an impassioned petition in support of the split nears 10,000 signatures.

Shock plans to de-amalgamate a council in Sydney’s south have been put forward with one councillor stating it “feels very much like two different communities separated by an airport”.

It comes as a petition to de-amalgamate Bayside Council nears 10,000 signatures.

Bayside Council will debate a motion on Wednesday about whether to hold a special poll asking residents if they want the council to split and return to their previous councils.

Bayside Council was established in 2016 combining two former councils, Rockdale and Botany Bay.

A view over the suburb of Mascot within Bayside Council.

The “one question poll” would be put to residents as part of the local government election papers in September and would cost the council at least $150,000 to carry out.

“In May 2021 amendments were made to the Local Government Act 1993 giving councils the opportunity to build a business case for de-amalgamation. Asking residents this question is the first step in this process,” council papers stated.

Sydney Airport formerly separated the two defunct councils but is now located in the middle of Bayside Council. The forced merger was part of a State Government initiative combining multiple councils across Sydney.

Bayside councillor Christina Curry, a former councillor at Botany Bay, said there was a sentiment among residents on the Botany Bay side of the region which had not subsided during the past five years.

Cr Christina Curry. Picture: Craig Wilson

“People feel that the amalgamation was the wrong thing to happen and feel very much like two different communities separated by an airport,” she said.

The latest major concern to cause backlash among residents was rates harmonisation, which essentially saw a large rates increase for residents living in the former Botany Bay area, to correspond with the minimum rates fee in other parts of the region.

“That has been the biggest issue for our community,” Cr Curry said.

Cr Curry and Cr Scott Morrissey have put forward the motion to de-amalgamate.

A Bayside Council truck.

Heffron state Labor MP Ron Hoenig, a former longstanding mayor of Botany Bay, has compiled a petition with almost 10,000 signatures calling for the new council to de-amalgamate.

He plans to present the petition to the Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock in the near future.

“Ever since the Liberals’ forced council mergers in 2016, I have been inundated with complaints about Bayside Council’s poor service, higher rates, rampant overdevelopment, and an unresponsive bureaucracy,” he said.

“Ratepayers have had five years to make up their mind about council amalgamations.

The Bayside Council area includes Sydney Airport.

“The people must be allowed to have their say at September’s poll. My constituents can’t wait to see the end of the Rockdale regime which has ruled our area for the past five years.”

Council papers for Bayside’s upcoming meeting on Wednesday set out what needed to happen for the council to potentially go ahead with de-amalgamation, starting with council agreeing to put a poll to residents.

“Unlike a constitutional referendum, a poll only provides council with guidance on a particular matter and (the) result of the poll does not bind the council,” council papers stated.

“Should (the council) wish to pursue the de-amalgamation the following process applies: Council prepares and submits a written business case to the Minister for Local Government.”

The Minister would then refer the proposal to the Boundaries Commission for a full inquiry and report.

Following that report, the Minister would notify the council on whether the de-amalgamation proposal was successful or not.