The Greens condemn the Central Coast Council administrator’s undemocratic decision to impose a referendum on residents

Today in Parliament, Abigail gave notice of a motion addressing the Central Coast Council's forced administration since 2020 and a controversial referendum, imposed by an unelected Administrator, to reduce councillor numbers from fifteen to nine—sparking concerns over democratic rights and diminished representation for the region's 352,000 residents.

Abigail said:

I give notice that on the next sitting day I will move:

(1) That this House notes that:

the amalgamated Central Coast Council has been under forced administration since 30 October 2020, unable to hold a democratic election until 14 September 2024 and unable to demerge,
Administrator Rik Hart has decided that on 14 September, community members will also be asked to vote in a referendum on the following question:
- “do you favour a reduction in the number of Central Coast Councillors from fifteen to nine? This will result in three Wards with each Ward electing three Councillors.”
the suggestion to hold such a referendum initially came from the previous Administrator, Dick Persson, built on his belief that “fifteen councillors is simply too many and does not facilitate collaborative and effective decision making and that has to change”,
at an Ordinary Council Meeting on 11 May 2021, Council - being a single Administrator - resolved to hold a referendum on 4 September 2021 for voters to determine whether they favour a reduction in the number of Central Coast Councillors from fifteen to nine. However, due to the formal Public Inquiry into Central Coast Council, this was postponed, and since then the current Administrator has reinstated this decision,
this decision made by a single Administrator who was not democratically elected by the people of the Central Coast fundamentally violates the democratic rights of the people of the Central Coast to democratically elect representatives to govern, provide services, advocate and create opportunities for citizens to influence democratic processes,
the question on whether to hold this referendum should have been delayed until new councillors had been elected and able to have a say on behalf of those who elected them,
Central Coast Council is the third largest council in NSW, with 352,000 residents, and should this proposal go ahead the ratio of residents represented by each councillor would increase by 40 per cent, from 23,462 residents per councillor to 39,104, and
the NSW Labor Party’s 2024 State Conference endorsed resolutions from Central Coast Labor Party Branches supporting the retention of fifteen councillors, with Labor Member for The Entrance David Mehan saying that less representation would mean minimal effective outcomes for the community.

(2) That this House:

condemns the undemocratic decision of the Administrator to force the people of Central Coast to vote on this referendum, instead of allowing it to be determined by a democratically-elected council after September 14, and
stands with the people of the Central Coast and their democratic right to retain an equitable and effective representation of councillors and wards.

15 August 2024

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The Greens condemn the Central Coast Council administrator’s undemocratic decision to impose a referendum on residents

A UNIVERSAL WELLBEING PAYMENT FOR NSW

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