Save Tumbarumba Shire is working to de-merge from the Snowy Valleys Council and secretary Doug Gee said they will be ramping up their efforts in the lead up to this year’s state election. 

“There’s a growing groundswell,” he said. 

Mr Gee said they will be targeting the Albury, Wagga and Monaro electorates as well as showing support in the Cootamundra-Gundagai region.

“We will be supporting all the candidates that support de-mergers and we will be quite active in that,” he said

“The forced amalgamation is horribly undemocratic.” 

Recently, Mr Gee received a letter from State Opposition Leader Michael Daley that said the party does not support forced council mergers or forced de-mergers.

“Labor has committed - when we achieve government - to putting in place a transparent mechanism to enable the voluntary de-merging of councils that were forcibly merged by the Baird and Berejiklian Governments,” the letter read.

“Any changes need to be based on a decision of the local community, not a decision made in Macquarie Street.” 

Mr Gee said the local Chamber of Commerce prepared a scorecard comparing the elected council’s first year in office and performance against the promises by the Liberal government prior to the merge.

“It’s a damning indictment of the performance of the merged Snowy Valleys Council,” he said. 

“The reports predict deficits as far out as 2027 to 2028.”

Mr Gee said even though the merger isn’t an issue that affects Wagga voters, it is an indicator of this way the government behaves. 

Cootamundra-Gundagai councillor Leigh Bowden, who was elected to her region’s first amalgamated council, said she can understand the movement from the point of view of an undemocratic process.

“The forced merger process was out of line,” she said. 

“I am absolutely committed to the right of residents of merged councils to vote on what they want to do.

“The democratic process must be adhered to.” 

Ms Bowden said there have undoubtedly been issues along the way, but she believes that it is working well for both communities. 

“Personally, I love being merged with Gundagai and I think it has been a real asset,” she said. 

“The two towns are working incredibly well together.

“At last night’s council meeting, we committed to moving forward united.” 

Ms Bowden said she doesn’t see the issue as being regional versus capital, but rather the decision to merge came from the top without consulting people on the ground. 

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