When faced with an opportunity to turn back the clock, a majority of voters in three Queensland Councils, Warwick, Gold Coast and Burnett, said ‘no’ to deamalgamation.
For most of us, change does present a threat. However, whether we are a proponent, open minded or dragged grudgingly along, once in place, few want to go back to the old system. Around the nation and overseas, wherever amalgamation has taken place, this has been the predominant view.
The recent Queensland referenda required a majority of voters to be in favour of deamalgamation, as well as a majority in each of the former Council areas prior to their amalgamation in 1994.
In the former Shire of Allora, now part of Warwick Shire, a majority of voters wanted to see their old Council back. However, in Warwick’s three other former Council areas the majority wanted amalgamation to stay.
With Gold Coast, Queensland’s second most populated Council, people in the former Albert Shire overwhelmingly supported the amalgamation, while in the former Gold Coast area, the vote was in favour of a return to the two former Council areas. All former Council areas in Burnett returned a ‘no’ vote.
Following the referenda results, Di McCauley, Queensland’s Minister for Local Government, reaffirmed that the Coalition will not force further amalgamations. However, according to a report in the Brisbane Courier Mail, she said that some smaller Councils are ‘living on their bankcards, getting further and further into debt’ and cannot continue with their ‘heads in the sand’.
Although the referenda were a costly exercise for ratepayers, as well as the interest groups flying the flag of deamalgamation, with their futures assured, the three Councils can now push forward with their programs.
However, both Gold Coast and Warwick do so in the knowledge that sections in their communities do not support the current structure. Only time will tell if they can successfully heal this rift.
With differences of opinion part and parcel of our democratic system, despite a green light from the majority, as always, an obligation remains for these Councils to take on board the views and aspirations of all groups in their communities in all their decision making processes.
