WALCHA is well and truly out of the merger wilderness, according to one of the community’s most-vocal anti-amalgamation advocates.
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Nowendoc-farmer George Spring rallied against the NSW government’s Fit for the Future reforms, presenting the case for Walcha to continue as a sole-entity, at every opportunity.
Mr Spring is adamant his shire will continue standing alone for at least 10 years.
The local’s assertion comes despite Deputy Premier John Barilaro failing to confirm whether the proposed four-way merger of Armidale-Dumaresq, Guyra, Uralla and Walcha councils was completely off the table.
“My view is that we were out when we got out [in May],” Mr Spring told The Leader.
“We’re in the clear, if the government came back this late in the cycle, it would be pretty dangerous.
“I think we’ll be safe for at least 10 years.”
Mr Barilaro vowed to “bring an end to local government mergers in the bush”, in a strong statement issued last week.
The Deputy Premier, however, was unable to confirm whether his promise applied to the four-way merger on the Tablelands which was proposed by the former Armidale-Dumaresq Council.
Mr Spring said the political fallout from the merger process meant it would be hard for the government to revisit in the near future, pointing to the resignation of former NSW Nationals leader, Troy Grant, the Orange by-election results and the speculated dumping of local government minister Paul Toole.
“There was no way Walcha was going to be looked at after that,” Mr Spring said.
“We had the mayor, councillors, state and federal members in our corner.
“It’s not like [the state government] is saving millions of dollars by doing it, there’s no savings and there’s no benefit.
“Why would you revisit it now?”
There’s speculation Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall could be in line for the local government portfolio with an imminent cabinet reshuffle.
Mr Spring said Mr Marshall was one of only a handful of MPs who stood up against the merger process.
“Adam Marshall, Kevin Anderson and Andrew Gee – before he went to the federal seat – were some of the only state Nationals who stood up for their communities,” Mr Spring said.