D-Day has come for Oberon locals opposed to a proposed amalgamation with Bathurst Regional Council.
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The case of Oberon Council v Minister for Local Government has been listed for judgment in the Land and Environment Court at 9.30am on Friday.
A judgment in Cabonne Council’s action against minister Paul Toole will also be delivered on Friday morning.
The councils took their cases to court after the state government announced its plans last December for a raft of forced amalgamations as part of sweeping local government reforms.
Oberon was earmarked for a merger with Bathurst while Cabone was part of a planned three-way merger with Blayney and Orange.
Oberon locals opposed to the merger have criticised the government’s reform process and its Fit For The Future criteria that determined Oberon was not in a position to stand alone.
Bathurst mayor Gary Rush said council would be closely watching Friday morning’s result and it would be folly to try and pre-empt the court’s decision.
“But all the judgments that have been handed down by the Land and Environment Court so far have been in support of the state government, except for those where it was determined that they needed to tidy up the delegate’s reports a little,” he said.
“Whether this judgment goes the same way or not we will know when it is handed down at 9.30am.”
Cr Rush said Bathurst had always adopted a neutral approach to amalgamations and would accept the court’s decision either way.
“Our council can see the benefits of reform into local government across the state and we can also see the benefits that mergers could provide communities, including ours,” Cr Rush said.
“At the same time, we understand the position of councils such as Oberon and their determination to reject the notion of a merger but we will be going with the umpire’s decision and the wishes of the state government.”
The program of mergers has been a difficult one for the state government that has already been forced to defend a number of actions from small councils across the state.
The policy has also plagued the Coalition at the ballot box with the Calare Nationals suffering a heavy swing against them in Oberon and Cabonne at the federal election in July and in a dog fight to retain the previously safe state seat of Orange at a byelection in November.