Thursday’s Boundaries Commission public hearing at the Cootamundra Ex-Services Club.
The NSW Local Government Boundaries Commission have this week held two public hearings at the Cootamundra Ex-Services Club on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, to allow councillors and residents to have their say on whether to de-amalgamate Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council or not.
In August last year, the then Minister for Local Government, Shelley Hancock, referred to the Boundaries Commission a business case submitted by the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council (CGRC).
The proposal of the business case, if implemented by the NSW Government, would be to de-merge the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council into their separate and original local government areas that existed in 2016, prior to the forced merger.
34 people attended session one of the Boundaries Commission on Wednesday night with eight councillors and residents speaking, while 16 attended session two on Thursday morning with six taking to the microphone.
The overarching points and fears that continually kept resurfacing throughout the speeches were the financial instability during the merged council, rate variations, extended distance and travel time between the two towns, as well as a lack of true community spirit and natural integration between Cootamundra and Gundagai.
However, some residents raised the point that they felt as though the Council would be regressing on all the hard work in the last six years in trying to create a seamless transition of a merged council, with their efforts simply going down the drain if for backward thinking.
Each speaker had four minutes to get their point of view and observations across, either in favour of keeping the status quo as CGRC or to de-amalgamate the Council, to the Boundaries Commission, made up of Chairman Bob Sendt, Councillor Rick Firman OAM, Councillor Lesley Furneaux-Cook and Mr Grant Gleeson.
Whilst taking in an abundance of information and emotional pleas during the public hearings, the Boundaries Commission had one main function, which was to review the sessions and provide a report to the Minister.
The Boundaries Commission was required to examine and report on any matter referred during the public hearing to the current Local Government Minister, Wendy Tuckerman, in relation to the boundaries of local government areas and the areas of operation of county councils.
The Times spokes to Boundaries Commission Chairman Bob Sendt following the conclusion of the second public hearing session in Cootamundra, about the expected timeline of a final decision of the business case.
“It partly depends on how many submissions we get. Last time we got about 1000 submissions. It does take quite a while to get through 1000 submissions and categorise them and summarise them,” Mr Sendt said.
“The timeline really depends on what happens with the number of submissions. The hearings will be finished on Friday, and submissions will be due by end of next week.
“Assuming we don’t get as many as last time, we’d be looking at probably mid-July at the latest in terms of getting a recommendation to the Minister.
“The minister has to announce her decision within 28 days of getting our report. If she did decide to de-merge, the timing is up to her. She could make it in effect immediately or anytime she believed fit. There’s no constraint on her.”
Sendt weighed in with his thoughts following the conclusion of the second public hearing in Cootamundra.
“I think the people in Gundagai are more affected by the merger and the potential for a de-merger,” he said.
“We’re expecting bigger attendance at the sessions there as they feel the issue more closely, I guess. There was certainly more angst over the merger in 2016 at the Gundagai end.”
“The main point that’s been put forward to us so far this time, is that the financial savings from the merger haven’t eventuated when in fact, the costs have gone up. The other argument is that there’s no commonality or community spirit between Cootamundra and Gundagai, that they are different regions with different values.”
The financial costs of a merger or de-merger will be covered by the State Government, with ongoing costs to be handled by the Councils.
“One of the things that we’ll have to take into account is the transitional costs of the merger, and if there’s to be a de-merger, there’ll be transitional costs involved. The legislation now does provide that any costs of de-merger will be met by the government,” Mr Sendt continued.
CGRC Mayor Charlie Sheahan was at both Cootamundra public hearings and believed local residents made a good showing of themselves.
“I think the quality of the presentation is what’s important and I thought the quality was extremely pertinent. They covered all the issues that the Boundaries Commission needs to focus on,” Mayor Sheahan said.
“I’m quietly confident that the Boundaries Commission will now assess a lot of that information, even though it is repetitive from two years ago. It has been tested over two years now which would make it a little more objective rather than subjective.”
Mayor Sheahan said the Council will have a contingency plan in place de-merger or not, allowing the process and future works of Council to continue seamlessly once a final decision is made by the Minister.
“If a de-amalgamation is to occur, there will be a lot of input from the Office of Local Government and the Minister. I presume they would follow the models that have already been established with what happened in Victoria and Queensland in the past,” he said.
“De-amalgamations have happened, and they’ve worked successfully. I think that those sorts of models would be the way that they would go.”
Mayor Sheahan is optimistic for the Council and Cootamundra going forward, no matter what the final decision on the de-merger is.
“I honestly believe that whatever the decision is, if it’s finished and that’s it, and the division and divisiveness stops, and we’re able to cohesively put together a team, then that’s fine. The workplace can improve,” the CGRC Mayor said.
“If we are de-merged, yes, it will be problematic for a little while. But then the reality that will be our new workplace and the position that we will be in will be free of this division that’s plagued us for years.”
Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council Deputy Mayor Leigh Bowden also spoke to The Times after the second public hearing, with Bowden confident that there will be no great loss of business between the two towns.
“I don’t think there’s any business connection between Cootamundra and Gundagai. There have been attempts to create that link between the two towns, both nothing major to substantially impact the businesses,” Cr Bowden said.
“A de-merger won’t be an impact on businesses. People in Cootamundra don’t shop in Gundagai, people in Gundagai don’t shop at Cootamundra. We are two different places.”
“There’s no true connection between the two towns and it’s just got worse. People are hostile towards us because we’re from Cootamundra. There are boutique owners in Gundagai, and I love their products, so I go and visit them and they’re lovely. But no, there’s really no connection.”
Bowden also highlighted there are key differences between the two towns and the directions the towns are interested in heading towards.
“Richard White, who spoke on Wednesday night, spoke about Gundagai, which refers to itself as the heart of the Riverina. It’s small, it’s parochial, it’s iconic, and it’s got a history, but it’s happy the way it is,” Cr Bowden recalled.
“Cootamundra on the other hand is outward-looking, it’s progressive, it’s got the Inland Rail and the abattoirs are about to open, it’s got a housing development happening, as well as the Co-Op.
“Cootamundra is a centre for Harden and other local towns for people to come and get their basics.”
Bowden is adamant about whatever the community of Cootamundra thinks of the de-merger, Gundagai feels even more strongly about it.
“Their views on the de-merger are definitely stronger. They’re absolutely passionate. One of the key differences is that they’ve still got the Gundagai Council-In-Exile, which won’t go away. Cootamundra people are more laid back in their active decision-making.
The NSW Local Government Boundaries Commission also held two public hearings in Gundagai at the District Services Club on Thursday and again this morning.
Both public hearings had strong showings at each, with the overwhelming consensus from speakers was to de-merge the Cootamundra-Gundagai local government.
More to come.
Tim Warren