A gathering of聽about 50 residents from around New South Wales, including members of the state-wide Demerge NSW Alliance (DNA) from as far afield as Bombala and the Central Coast as well as Pittwater asked Labor delegates heading into their conference on聽October 15 to follow聽through on聽supporting residents in councils that want to demerge.
A big contingent from Sydney鈥檚 Inner West, whose population voted for a demerger in a poll at the December council elections, also joined the gathering.
DNA spokesperson Grantley Ingram said it was important to reinforce to Labor just how angry and let-down communities are about the Liberal-National government鈥檚 forced mergers of their councils.
鈥淏ombala faces huge rate hikes, while council is bleeding thousands of dollars a week. This is nothing like we were told the聽Fit for Future聽policy would deliver,鈥 he said.
鈥淲e are calling on Labor to keep its policy to allow independent binding local plebiscites for local residents wishing to demerge and to legislate to enable this to occur.
鈥淏y our reckoning more than 50% of the Liberal-National forcibly amalgamated councils in 2016 want to demerge.
鈥淭hey should be polled as the earliest opportunity to allow residents a say in the forcible mergers and where the community wants the demerger it must happen.
鈥淚f there is a single issue the NSW crossbench is united on, it is to allow residents to make the call on council demergers,鈥澛燬ave Our Councils Coalition spokesperson Sue Young said.
鈥淟abor opposed the forcible amalgamation of councils. With massive rate hikes and downgraded services impacting residents, we聽expect聽Labor聽to聽now stand by its聽commitment聽and聽restore democracy to those councils forcibly merged by the Liberal National Coalition government in 2016.鈥
The recent Cootamundra-Gundagai demerger approval has reignited the debate across NSW about the future of every merged council.
鈥淭he Gundagai demerger approval now hangs like an axe over the head of every council worker,鈥 Ingram said.聽鈥淲e must act quickly to end the uncertainty around their futures.鈥
While Labor delegates, many wearing red T-shirts, shirts or even suits, climbed the Town Hall steps, they were handed flyers聽by residents displaying signs聽from multiple demerger campaigns.
They spoke about聽the loss of democracy in the council amalgamations聽and other聽significant rate rises as some of the problems.
鈥淟abor members could not have missed the message and聽we hope they take it to heart,鈥澛燳oung said.
DNA representatives will meet a number of MPs this week to present a log of claims in the lead up to the March 2023 election.