Statement from Dr Joe McGirr, Independent Member for Wagga Wagga

Independent Member for Wagga Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr, has expressed bitter disappointment at the decision not to demerge Snowy Valleys Council.

Minister for Local Government, Shelley Hancock, on Tuesday announced that the current boundaries of both Snowy Valleys and Cootamundra-Gundagai councils would remain unchanged.

Dr McGirr has repeatedly called for the councils to be demerged, citing the deep opposition to the amalgamation from parts of the community.

The Minister’s announcement comes about five months after she was handed reports from the Local Government Boundaries Commission, whose commissioners recommended three to one in favour of the demerger. The one dissenting voice was an officer of the Office of Local Government, nominated by the chief executive.

“I have already written to the Premier, expressing my bitter disappointment at this decision and asking her to overturn it,” Dr McGirr said.

“This feels very much like the city kicking the country. It feels like the government is ignoring its regional base.

“The Coalition is supposed to be governing for the whole state, but it seems like we have the Liberals disregarding the views of their regional partners.”

Dr McGirr is disappointed that Minister Hancock has not backed the recommendation of the majority of the commissioners.

“The Minister’s response has instead been to ignore the clear majority decision and instigate a review of the Local Government Boundaries Commission,” he said.

“This is not just shooting the messenger. This is wiping them out entirely. It sends a clear message to anyone else who wants to disagree.

“There should, at the very least, be a detailed public response from the government to the majority report.”

Dr McGirr said the report from the three commissioners in favour of demerging noted the breadth and depth of the continuing opposition to the current Snowy Valleys Council boundaries.

“This completely vindicates what I have been saying. The Snowy Valleys Council has tried very hard, but the level of resentment makes the current situation entirely unworkable.

“The original amalgamation was a bad decision by the government. In my view, this report is more evidence of that.”

Dr McGirr acknowledged that the Local Government Amendment Bill 2021, which was passed in May, did offer a mechanism for a newly elected Snowy Valleys Council to pursue a fresh push for a demerger.

“But it is almost farcical that the approaching local government election means a newly elected Snowy Valleys Council will be left with pursuing demerger action which, if successful, would ultimately mean elections are needed in not one, but two, newly formed local government areas,” he said.

“Common sense suggests that the best course of action would be to begin the demerger process now.”