Four former Queensland council areas are set to go to the polls on whether or not they want to de-amalgamate and return to their old shire boundaries.

 

State Minister for Local Government, David Crisfulli, announced that referendums would be held in the former Noosa, Livingstone, Mareeba and Douglas shires.

 

 A poll will not go ahead in Isis, to split with Bundaberg Regional Council, because the council would be financially distressed from day one.

 

“The Government has always been firm that despite the brutality of the forced amalgamations in 2008, we would prefer the regional councils to work,” Mr Crisafulli said.

 

“We’ve also said we’ll give communities the opportunity to vote where there’s a chance a viable council could be created.

 

“But it needs to be done with all of the facts on the table and people will have to make a judgement about whether reverting to an independent council is worth the financial pain.”

 

The Boundaries Commissioner Col Meng handed Mr Crisafulli the report on November 28, which recommended only Noosa go to a referendum.

 

“In line with my views that whenever possible it should be local communities that control their destinies, I have referred four through to the final stage of a public poll,” Mr Crisafulli said.

 

Mr Meng and Queensland Treasury Corporation (QTC) have spent the past two months working with the proponents, stakeholders and councils in each area to calculate all of the costs involved.

 

Mr Meng’s report included:

  • wage costs for a mayor and councillors
  • wage costs for council staff
  • cost of equipment and IT
  • cost of de-amalgamation to the remaining council
  • cost of conducting a referendum
  • ongoing costs, such as annual licencing fees and insurance