Not one but two petitions are now on the NSW Parliament’s website asking for Council elections.
The Greens say they support these grassroots initiatives by residents and encourage the minister for local government to review her decision urgently.
The second petition asks the State Government to re-instate council elections in September 2022 “as promised when the council was put into administration”.
“This will allow the residents of the Central Coast to again have democratic representation in their local government area,” the petition reads.
The petitioner is Miss Debra Williams and is open until Boxing Day – which is after the petitioner wants the elections.
The first petition closes a week earlier and doesn’t put a date on when the election should be held but wants a review of the decision to wait until 2024.
The current Minister for Local Government Wendy Tuckerman announced on June 1 that Central Coast Council would not hold elections until September 2024 when the rest of the State will go to the polls as part of the normal cycle.
The prevous Minister Shelley Hancock had said the elections would be held in late 2022 when she announced in April 2021 the public inquiry into the council.
Meanwhile, the NSW Greens have called for a return to democracy.
Jamie Parker, the Greens Local Government spokesperson said:
“If the Minister succeeds in delaying the election until 2024, the Central Coast will have been without Councillors for four years.”
He said four years was too long to wait for local people to get a democratically elected voice back on their council.
“We’re calling on NSW Labor to commit to bringing this election forward if they win government in March 2023,” Mr Parker said.
He said there was no reason why the elections could be held before the normal election cycle (2024) and the councillors’ term could continue for five years until the next elections due in 2028.
“The minister knows that a five-year term following a period of administration is an acceptable solution to avoid the cost of holding two elections in two consecutive years,” he said.
“Shellharbour and Wollongong Councils implemented a five-year term solution in 2011.
“The minister has no reason why this solution is unavailable to the Central Coast.”
The Central Coast Greens say the announcement to continue administration of Council until September 2024 was met with universal surprise and disbelief on the Central Coast.
“Initially, residents were led to believe that two years of administration plus a lengthy public inquiry were adequate,” a spokesperson said.
“In fact, according to the administrator Rik Hart, the troubled financial affairs of the Central Coast Council have now substantially been addressed.
“At the same meeting, council CEO David Farmer reported that the “Council is on track to forecast a year-end surplus for the 2021-22 financial year as indicated in the Quarter 3 Business Report.”
The Greens say that exceptional circumstances no longer exist at Central Coast Council and that normal governance by elected Councillors should return as early as practical.
“Central Coast residents are concerned that controversial new developments without any supporting infrastructure and an attempt to sell off our Central Coast Water entity may go ahead in the additional two years under an appointed administrator,” The Central Coast Greens said.
