Former Campbelltown mayor Peter Primrose has slammed the state government over the Fred Borg byelection.
Mr Primrose, who is now a NSW upper house MP and Labor’s local government spokesman, joined forces with the Campbelltown MP, Greg Warren, to describe the $500,000 byelection as “unnecessary’.
“This is just another stuff up from a chaotic government,” Mr Primrose said.
In November 2014 the Local Government Amendment (Elections) Act was passed by the NSW Parliament with the support of the Labor Opposition, which allowed casual vacancies within the first 18 months of a council term to be filled by a countback rather than having to go to a byelection.
“We passed the legislation to allow countbacks, but the local government minister hasn’t done her job, and now the residents of Campbelltown have to pay because the government can’t get its act together,’’ Mr Primrose said.
The two local MPs say that it’s “unfair that local ratepayers will be footing the bill for the NSW Government’s incompetence.
“It is an absolute disgrace that council is being forced to cough up half a million dollars of ratepayers’ money,’’ Mr Warren said.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“Think of how many potholes could be filled, footpaths built and sporting fields upgraded with that sort of money, yet instead we’re heading to an unnecessary by-election.”[/social_quote]
The byelection to fill the spot left by the sudden death of Councillor Fred Borg just before Christmas 2016 is now set to be held on Saturday, March 18 across the entire Campbelltown local government area.
The current mayor of Campbelltown, George Brticevic, told the Voice last night he had no doubt the byelection would be held on March 18.
There had been suggestions from some quarters the government would rush to gazette the regulations needed to save Campbelltown ratepayers from the $500,000 byelection bill.
It means the byelection will be a three horse race as nominations have closed.
The three candidates are Labor’s Ben Gilholme and independents Josh Cotter and Gary Potts.
Nea Makowski
The reason this by election is going ahead is because labor and community first put up candidates
What hypocrites.
If Mr Potts (from the Fred Borg team) was the only candidate for this by-election (which would have confirmed the community’s decision of only 6 months ago) the residents of Campbelltown would be spared the costs thereof as Mr Potts would be elected unopposed.
Labor is now making this a political football.
Yep