Local councils in New South Wales look to be granted a fresh start after the surprise resignation of Premier Mike Baird last month.
It’s looking likely that Baird’s controversial forced amalgamation policy could come undone at the hands of his replacement Gladys Berejiklian.
Premier Berejiklian has vowed to listen to councils on the issue of amalgamations and reports are suggesting this could mean both abandoning ongoing legal battles with councils that are yet to merge and holding plebiscites in areas that have already amalgamated.
Berejiklian’s new Local Government Minister, former Attorney General Gabrielle Upton, has first hand experience dealing with amalgamation backlash.
Upton’s electorate of Vaucluse covers parts of Woollahra Municipal Council and Waverley Council, which are both currently fighting off a merger with Randwick City Council.
In 2015 Upton spoke at an anti-merger rally, in which she espoused the benefits of local government and encouraged Woollahra residents to sign a petition to remain a standalone council.
However, Upton was criticised when she reneged on her promise to publically accept the petition, which reached over 10,000 signatures.
Soon after the new government was sworn in last month, Woollahra mayor Toni Zeltzer penned a letter to the new Premier, noting the Nationals’ strong stance against amalgamations in regional areas, and urging for any decision to “be applied unilaterally” across the state.
Decisive leadership is necessary on the issue and it needs to come sooner rather than later.
Legal bills for councils challenging mergers – which are being footed by taxpayers – are reaching uncomfortable heights. Woollahra has reportedly racked up over $850,000 in legal costs.
Promising to listen may help curry favour with disgruntled councils, but after the ongoing upheaval of the last few years, the NSW local government sector deserves certainty going forward and it is up to the Berejiklian Government to deliver.
