Wollongong and Shellharbour councils will be forced to merge while Kiama and Shoalhaven will left to stand alone, the NSW Government will announce on Thursday.
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The decision, which comes after months of campaigning since merger proposals were revealed in December, will leave residents in different parts of the Illawarra with vastly disparate access to local representation.
Kiama, which the government’s proposal says has a population of 21,314, would have one councillor per 2368 residents if the status quo of nine councillors remains.
In stark contrast, a merged Wollongong-Shellharbour council would have 275,556 citizens, according to government figures.
With 13 councillors, that’s 21,197 residents (almost the entire population of Kiama) represented by each councillor.
Reacting to media reports on Wednesday night, an emotional and defiant Shellharbour mayor Marianne Saliba said “the fight isn’t over”, as she said the council had taken legal action in an attempt to stop the merger.
Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said he was not surprised the merger would go ahead as he believed Wollongong and Shellharbour had been “easy pickings because we’re a Labor dominated area”.
Kiama’s Brian Petschler said he had received no formal advice about the government’s decision, but said he would be “absolutely delighted”. He credited the community’s strong case and unwavering anti-merger campaign for the result.
Kiama MP Gareth Ward was unavailable for comment on Wednesday night.
Details of the merger plans, including decisions about administrators, timeframes and interim council structures will be revealed on Thursday.
WHAT THEY SAID
Kiama MP Gareth Ward
“From day one, I staked my reputation on opposing this merger and took on my own side of politics to secure today’s result. On behalf of a grateful community, I extend our sincere thanks to Premier Mike Baird who has listened to the overwhelming voice of our local residents.
“This has been a community led campaign. I would like to acknowledge Mayor Brian Petschler and Mayor Jo Gash for their advocacy throughout this process. My thanks also goes to most councillors on Kiama and Shoalhaven councils who have joined with me in a constructive and sensible manner to put forward the strongest possible case.
“The support from local residents has been overwhelming and this outcome would not have been possible without their resilience and determination.”
Shoalhaven MP Shelley Hancock
“I would like to congratulate Shoalhaven City Council led by Mayor Joanna Gash.
“Their diligent and committed research regarding the proposed amalgamation in part led to this decision.
“This is also a wonderful outcome for our local community who banded together to provide feedback and show their support for our local council.”
Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery
“Even though I don’t think the numbers stack up, I think the government wanted to pick on councils in Labor dominated areas, so we were easy picking.
“[Kiama] must have put up a good case to argue for their exemption, but I think every government is political and makes decisions through that filter, so I would think that did have something to do with it.”
“Unless the government is prepared to allow [councillors in the merged council] to be paid better because of the demands on their time and expectations of the workload will be so much larger, this will be a big ask and demand on those councillors. They need to spend the time the community expects on their various responsibilities –which will be immense as the merger of policies and strategies of two councils goes ahead.”
Shellharbour mayor Marianne Saliba
“I’m shocked, absolutely devastated – it is totally unfair and undemocratic. It’s absolute rubbish for me to be finding out that Kiama, a municipality of 21,000 has been saved, while a city of 67,000 people is being merged.
“We have legal action pending and the state government don’t have the right to take this action. I think is a political decision.”
Kiama mayor Brian Petschler
“I have had no formal advice that [these reports] are accurate, but if they are I’m absolutely delighted.
“I would think this proposal down here did not stack up, and our case made by the community here was so persuasive that it has had the effect that this shouldn’t proceed. It’s a win for our community.”
