The Town of Gawler’s proposal to change its boundaries has moved to the next stage, with the South Australian Local Government Boundaries Commission giving the green light for an inquiry to commence.
The Stage 2 Boundary Change General Proposal would remove the Concordia growth area and Kalbeeba from The Barossa Council LGA, whilst Light Regional Council’s losses would include Hewett and parts of Reid and Gawler Belt.
It also affects the City of Playford Council.
In a letter to Ms Redman, Commission Chairman, Mr Bruce Green acknowledged the “significant work” undertaken by her council to develop the proposal in order to meet legislative requirements under the Local Government Act 1999.
However, whilst it was deemed the proposal warranted further investigation, more steps are required for any re-alignment to eventuate.
“I must emphasise that the Commission’s determination to inquire into the Proposal does not mean that the proposal has been recommended to proceed,” Mr Green advised.
“A recommendation to the Minister regarding the Proposal can only be made once the Commission has conducted and considered the findings of an inquiry.”
The Commission will now commence the formal process of obtaining a cost estimate for the inquiry, which will be provided to Gawler council for consideration in the coming months.
Ms Redman said Council looked forward to receiving cost estimates, before determining its next step.
“Town of Gawler has consistently maintained that our desire to review - and if appropriate, realign - our boundaries is to ensure Gawler remains a unified, connected community as we grow into the future,” she said.
Councils united in opposition
Mayors and CEOs from each of the three impacted councils have met and sent letters to the Commission since being advised of its intention to commence an inquiry.
All were united in their opposition to the decision according to Light Regional Council Mayor Bill O’Brien.
“We are on the same page...We all can’t be wrong,” he told The Leader on Monday, describing what he called a “flawed” and “un-Australian” legislation which “pits council against council”.
The Barossa Council Mayor Michael “Bim” Lange said discussions with Light Regional Council have been productive.
“We will be working together,” Mayor Lange confirmed.
“I have written back to the Commission seeking clarification on the rationale as to why Gawler’s bid has gone to the next stage.
“We’ll have a report going to the December meeting.”
With elections across all tiers of government due next year, Mayor Lange said governments and councils will likely “look different” in the next 12 months.
“We are on the threshold of a Federal, State and Local Government election. It makes better sense to just park it for now,” he said.
Both he and Mayor O’Brien agree their respective council areas will suffer as a result of the proposed re-alignment.
Mayor Lange cited The Barossa Council’s extensive work on Concordia and the incorporation of “smart city technology”into the greenfields project which would result in “extraordinary benefits” to the rest of the region through the additional rates generated.
“The developer wants it branded as Barossa,” Mayor Lange added.
“Barossa is a destination, it’s more than a location and in my opinion, Gawler isn’t a regional centre anymore.
“It’s not about the community consultation with Gawler, it’s about the community consultation with all of our ratepayers as well.
“The question for Gawler residents is can they bear the significant cost of this next stage which, as I understand, could be anything from $500,000 to $1 million?”
Mayor O’Brien said residents and businesses will be the ones to lose out in the Light region under The Town of Gawler’s proposal.
“It will carve a great slice out of our rate revenue at minimum and that will have impact on our agriculture and viticulture industries and the maintenance of our heavy freight routes and roads. It will have profound effects on our tourism development because we can’t lose millions out of our budget and keep doing things the same as we do.
“I believe we have to show some leadership and demonstrate to our communities that we are not going to stand for this. We are going to fight all the way to the finishing line and, hopefully, they will drop this absurd proposal.”
