Central Coast Greens circulate demerger petitions
The Central Coast Greens have launched petitions to recreate the Gosford and Wyong Shires.
Media officer Ms Chantelle Baistow said the petition was politically neutral.
The wording for the petition stated that "the undersigned hereby propose the constitution of the new Local Government Area of Gosford City, whereby this new area is to have the same boundaries as the former Gosford City Council immediately prior to 12 May 2016".
The petition is addressed as "A proposal to the Minister for Local Government, New South Wales, to create the new Local Government Area (Council) of Gosford City In accordance with the provisions under Section 215 of the NSW Local Government Act 1993".
Residents were being asked to download the petition template, print out the page, and return it for collation when completed.
Ms Baistow said the Greens were inviting the community "to rethink the Council's amalgamation, consider the petition, and take ownership over collecting signatures".
"A sustained community effort will be needed to make this happen.
"The success of the proposal collection will depend on the level of enthusiasm in the community and the volunteers involved."
Ms Baistow said: "The Central Coast Greens have expressed ongoing concern about the lack of consultation with the community before the amalgamation of Wyong and Gosford Councils.
"There was a poorly subscribed survey in the lead-up to the 2016 amalgamation, and, as we know, many submissions to the pre-amalgamation Inquiry were ignored."
She said that, for a demerger to proceed: "At least 25.000 signatures from residents enrolled to vote will be required in total across the two new Council areas of Wyong and Gosford.
"We envisage that it will take up to six months to collect such a large number of signatures.
"Once sufficient signatures have been collected, the proposals will be presented to the Local Government Minister.
"The minister must then decide on the creation of a Boundaries Commission Inquiry into the potential demerger of Central Coast Council.
"The Boundaries Commission Inquiry will then take submissions and hold public hearings.
"Finally, the Minister must consider the findings and recommendations contained in the Commission's final report before reaching a decision."
The proposal templates and signature pages are available at https://bit.ly/35JHiFe.
Ms Baistow said: "We guarantee that any information provided by the signatories (name and address) will be held in confidence and only be used to submit the de-amalgamation proposals."
For further information, email secretary@centralcoast.nsw.greens.org.au
SOURCE:
Media release, 23 Jun 21
Chantelle Baistow, Central Coast Greens