Country Labor Candidate, Dr David Keegan and Shadow Minister for Local Government, Mr Peter Primrose have signed a written pledge that should Labor be elected into government, a council de-merger referendum, and stopping Masters are initiatives that they will pursue as highlighted in their written pledge to the community.
The pledge initiative has come from community concern, particularly over the Master’s issue and was negotiated by Clr. Peter Epov assisted by the former Mayors of the Greater Taree City Council, the Gloucester Shire Council and The Great Lakes Council, Mr Paul Hogan OAM, and Mr John Rosenbaum.
If elected Labor will provide the opportunity for residents in each of the three former council areas to have their own separate Referendum as to whether they wish to stay or leave the MidCoast Council. As an example, should the majority of voters in the former Gloucester Council area choose to leave, Labor will create the mechanism for them to leave MidCoast Council. Similarly the same principle will apply to the residents in the other two former council areas.
In relation to the MidCoast Council’s proposed Office Centralisation Proposal, on election, Labor has committed to asking MidCoast Council to cease all work on the Master’s project pending a fresh report from the Office of Local Government to the Minister, who will then review that Report, together with recommendations from the Community.
Commented Councillor Epov, ‘These commitments by Labor are very significant and are a real game changer.
‘People through the entire region were outraged by the indiscriminate manner with which the forced amalgamation was perpetrated on our communities in 2016. These communities were denied the opportunity to have a proper say and a vote on the issue.
‘Many people have maintained the rage, and given all the controversies that have surrounded MidCoast Council, I believe people would like the opportunity of a Referendum to seal the issue once and for all.’
The Pledge has been made and signed Dr David Keegan and by the Shadow Minister for Local Government, Peter Primrose, under the authority of the Labor Party Leader, Michael Daley, and it gives all residents in the MidCoast Council area, the right and opportunity to have a voice in the future of their Council.
2 Comments
This is something to really look forward to, if Labor is elected, as it is the most positive article I have read since the Masters’ debacle began.
We have been forcibly amalgamated with Gloucester and Great Lakes councils by an arrogant dictator, Mike Baird and, once again dictated to by the general Manager Hanford who, as everyone knows, quickly resigned his position and commenced working with his Chinese developer friend, leaving many residents in these areas frustrated by the actions of these people, many of whom do not wish to be amalgamated with other councils.
The Masters’ disaster will end up costing ratepayers many millions of dollars if it all goes ahead, when so much other infrastructure is in need of maintenance in the whole of the current Mid Coast Council area. I really hope voters read all the facts about what has happened in the past couple of years, and think long and hard about who they vote for.
I couldn’t agree more with Gary Hayes i truly hope people do read everything and not just listen to what they say now to make them look good