For certain councillors to state that we need to study the merger options more closely is an absolute joke  because these councillors have had the opportunity to do so for ages and obviously haven’t done so.

Furthermore, to ask for a poll to ascertain the public’s opinion is an even greater joke. Conducting another poll is like playing Two-Up and calling tails, but when the coins come down heads. Just keep on tossing the coins up again in the hope that they will eventually come down tails.

We can only assume that the four councillors who voted against upholding the rescission motion will now take it upon themselves to obtain all of the information required in Councillor Knudsen’s motion from the meeting on May 1 instead of inflicting this useless task on to the general manager, mayor and deputy mayor, and that this will be done as a priority.

I for one am very interested to hear the progress of this.

My fear is however that during this time Councillor Knudsen’s “used car” will be taken off the market and Dungog residents will be left to keep walking everywhere.

It was enlightening to have the meaning of democracy explained to us by Councillor Bowden at the meeting, but it seems that knowing the meaning and actually implementing the democratic process are two entirely different things, as is obvious from the results of the council meeting.

If the desired result from the Dungog Shire Council meeting on May 16 is to have an administrator to be appointed, then I fear Councillors Knudsen, Bowden, Norman and Booth may have succeeded.

In an astonishing move after the Ordinary Dungog Shire Council (DSC) Meeting, National Party Local Member for the Upper Hunter, Michael Johnsen, tried to override a democratically elected Council decision, calling for his government to sack councillors and replace them with an administrator because they rejected a rescission motion.

Councillors had originally voted 6 to 3 at a May 1 Extraordinary Meeting, that, because they believed the merger process had been flawed to date and all options required further investigation.

 This includes engaging with Port Stephens Council, Maitland City Council, the boundaries commission to split the shire across adjoining areas, and remaining independent.

On 14 February 2017 the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that planned forced amalgamations in regional NSW would not proceed. 

This was after lobbying by the Deputy National Leader, John Barilaro, to stop amalgamations in rural NSW. 

I believe the move by our local member to intervene in a democratic process and suggest our sacking because we wanted to go through a more detailed process should be met with outrage by other councils across NSW.

It would be contrary to the NSW government’s policy and would be effectively a forced amalgamation.

We are delighted that even our actions to date have forced the announcement that the $15m, previously on the table for mergers and then removed, will again be available for a voluntary Dungog Council merger.  We assume this will be for any council merger.

Council elections are in four months. The majority of Dungog Shire councillors believe that to merge now with Port Stephens without prior discussion would be negligent of councillors who wish to achieve the best outcomes for their community. 

Have your say.

Email dungog@fairfaxmedia.com.au