The NSW Boundaries Commission will examine a proposal to reinstate the former Gundagai Council boundaries. Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke has welcomed the decision to refer the proposal by Gundagai Council in Exile (GCIE) to the independent NSW Boundaries Commission for examination. GCIE collected over 1,000 signatures from residents in both Gundagai and Cootamundra who say they want Cootamundra Gundagai Regional Council demerged. Under the Local Government Act, the Boundaries Commission can consider a proposal to change boundaries if the appropriate number of enrolled electors in the local government area request it. With 8,536 electors (as of August 24, 2018) within the Cootamundra-Gundagai local government area, GCIE needed 854 signatories before they could present the petition to the Local Government Minister.
‘While I wasn’t the local member at the time of the amalgamation, since my election, I have not let go of this important issue for a moment. My primary concern has always been that the voice of Gundagai was heard and listened to’ – Steph Cooke, Member for Cootamundra
The petition went into circulation during the first week of August last year; seven weeks later signatures totalled in excess of the quota required, and the proposal was presented to the Minister. It is now heading to the Boundaries Commission. “This a giant step forward for the Gundagai community and I know it will come as a great relief to the members of GCIE,” Ms Cooke told the Independent. Ms Cooke had a high-level meeting with Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock in Sydney on Tuesday to discuss the GCIE proposal. “This was a hard fought battle, lasting more than 12 months,” Ms Cooke said. “I would like to thank the Premier and Minister Hancock for giving me a fair hearing on behalf of the Gundagai community.
The Deputy Premier has supported me from the outset, as have my Nationals colleagues. “While I wasn’t the local member at the time of the amalgamation, since my election, I have not let go of this important issue for a moment. My primary concern has always been that the voice of Gundagai was heard and listened to.” Deputy Premier Barilaro said the Nationals will always be a voice for the regions and this is an example where the local member Steph Cooke has advocated for her region and raised concerns with the merged council, merger process and impacts on their community. “Determination has finally paid off and now the independent Boundaries Commission can examine the GCIE proposal to reinstate the former Gundagai Council boundaries,” Mr Barilaro said. GCIE spokesperson Glen Moore said this is a significant breakthrough. “It is the result of a sustained campaign by local ratepayers to have the Minister refer this to the Boundaries Commission and go through the process,” Mr Moore said. “Up until the visit from the Local Government Minister (in late October), nobody has been here since the merger, not an officer of the Local Government or any other senior bureaucrat; meanwhile we have two communities falling into a financial abyss.
“This is a great step forward; this is a first for all those councils that have been through this process, and while we can’t get too excited, at least we are part of a process that should include the voice of the people. “GCIE is grateful for all the help Steph has given us in getting this petition over the line. With her continued support, we would hope for an equitable outcome to any Boundaries Commission investigation.” Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council mayor Abb McAlister said he too welcomes the decision to refer the proposal to the Boundaries Commission for examination. “The council has basically supported this process through the motions we have put to the last two annual Local Government NSW conferences, which received unanimous backing from every other NSW council,”
Cr McAlister said. “Gundagai Council in Exile is a group that was endorsed by hundreds of residents and ratepayers at a public meeting in Gundagai in December of 2016 because they wanted this group to be their voice, to advocate on their behalf. “Our Local Member Steph Cooke has fought extremely hard for this result and has done a fantastic job in ensuring that the voice of the Gundagai people, her constituents, has been heard.” Ms Cooke said she would continue to work closely with Cootamundra Gundagai Regional Council while the proposal is being examined by the Boundaries Commission. “Significant progress has been made over the past few years, and I acknowledge the work of Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council to deliver services and infrastructure to their residents,” Ms Cooke said.
Gundagai Independent
