It is great news that so many Liberal and National Party MPs (state and federal) are coming out publicly against Premier Mike Baird’s forced council mergers.
Most recently, National MPs Kevin Anderson and Kevin Humphries joined a rally to call for Walcha not to be forcibly merged and denounced forced amalgamations. The most senior National MP in Australia, deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, has also called for Walcha to stand alone. The problem is many Liberal and National MPs say one thing in their local communities and do another in Parliament.
They have already voted twice against allowing the issue of forced mergers to be debated in Parliament. They are roosters in their electorates, but feather dusters in Macquarie St. If your local MP says they support your local council, get them to act on it. Ask them to call Premier Baird and Deputy Premier Troy Grant while you’re standing there with them. Ask them to raise it in the Parliament. Otherwise they’re just not serious.
Email, Mar 21, 2016 Peter Primrose, NSW Shadow Minister for Local Government