THE future of a regional relocation scheme remains shrouded in secrecy for now as councils await news on the fate of Evocities.
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The group's steering committee met in Sydney on Thursday afternoon, but it was staying tight-lipped until it informed it members of its decision.
If it lives on, a former chairman has said state government needed to "pull its finger out" and prove it is serious about regional NSW by investing in the program.
Mathew Dickerson sat at the helm of Evocities for a number of years and news of the program's demise prompted a broadside at the state government from the former Dubbo mayor.
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"Pull your finger out and put some money into this if you are serious about regional NSW," he said.
Mr Dickerson, who was narrowly defeated in a bid to take the state seat of Dubbo from the National Party, said now was not the time for councils to walk away.
He said the program needed more investment to remain viable and called on the NSW government to at least match the combined councils' annual contribution.
The seven member councils were set to invest $560,000 collectively into the program this year.
There's a "black-and-white" formula for the program's success, in Mr Dickerson's mind.
"It was a simple linear model, the more spent on advertising, the more inquiries we got, the more people moved to a regional city," he said.
He said investment in Evocities would be a "win-win" with a metropolitan exodus easing congestion in the city and boosting regional areas with stagnating rates of population growth.
"But I don't think state government really cares about regional NSW," he said.
He said the Evocities councils should hang in with the marketing program and reminded its members it was about the greater good.
"The only way it works is if it's for the greater good," he said.
"If someone moves to Orange, it's still okay, if they move to Tamworth or Armidale, it's better than them staying in Sydney."
The current Evocities chairman, Albury mayor Kevin Mack, told the Daily Advertiser today's meeting would clarify "what the model looks like moving forward on less money".
"The issue with Wagga and Armidale are two separate issues but we move on," he said.
"If it becomes an issue for them, it's not necessarily an issue for us because we see value in the product."
Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson was contacted for comment.