Campbelltown City Council

July 2022 Update

The following is an update following the meeting of the Local Government Boundaries Commission on 20 July 2022.

The Local Government Boundaries Commission (the Commission) has received correspondence from a number of residents and property owners in the Rostrevor and Woodforde areas regarding the Campbelltown City Council’s Boundary Change Proposal (the Proposal).

The Commission acknowledges that the Proposal has raised concerns for the affected communities.

At its meetings on 18 May 2022 and 20 July 2022, the Commission considered the Proposal along with supplementary information provided by the Council on 28 June 2022.

The Commission deals with boundary change proposals made under Chapter 3 Part 2 of the Local Government Act 1999 (the Act) in line with the relevant Guidelines published by the Commission.

When considering a proposal, the Commission is guided in particular by Guideline 3 – Submitting a Proposal to the Commission and the principles contained in section 26 of the Act. These principles are fundamental to the consideration of boundary change proposals and ultimately form the basis of any recommendation that the Commission may make to the Minister.

The Commission has formed the view that the Campbelltown City Council Proposal meets the requirements of Guideline 3 and generally aligns with the section 26 principles. The Commission therefore determined that an inquiry into the Proposal may proceed in accordance with Section 31 of the Act and Guideline 4 – Investigations of General Proposals Initiated by Councils.

It is emphasised that this determination does not mean that the Commission has decided that the boundary change should proceed.  The Commission can only make a recommendation to the Minister on whether or not a boundary change should occur once it has thoroughly inquired into the Proposal, and considered the results of this inquiry.

If the inquiry proceeds, a critical element will be engagement and consultation. This will be undertaken in accordance with the engagement principles and the mandatory requirements outlined in Guideline 9 – Engagement and Consultation. An engagement and communications plan will be developed and implemented as part of the inquiry.

In accordance with Guideline 8 - Costs, the Commission will shortly commence the formal process of obtaining a cost estimate for the inquiry. It is anticipated that this will be provided to the Campbelltown City Council for its consideration following the conclusion of the November 2022 local government elections. The inquiry will only proceed if the Campbelltown City Council provides a clear direction to do so, on consideration of this cost estimate.

The Commission emphasises that an inquiry would include extensive engagement with affected councils and their communities to ensure that the Commission is fully informed of all views. Equally, it is essential that the affected communities have the opportunity to form their views in the context of full information about the potential impacts of the Proposal, as these are detailed through the Commission’s inquiry.

If the Campbelltown City Council decides to proceed with the inquiry, the Commission strongly encourages the affected communities and ratepayers to participate in the community engagement process as the most effective way to make their views known to the Commission.

Ultimately, any recommendations that the Commission may make to the Minister on a boundary change proposal will reflect its informed view on what is best for the communities and councils that are affected by the proposal having regard to the provisions of the Local Government Act.

In accordance with the Commission’s Publication Policy, the Commission will publish all relevant material about this proposal on this webpage and provide updates at appropriate points.

In February 2024, the Commission determined that an inquiry into the proposal may proceed.

July 2024

Following an open tender and thorough evaluation process, BDO Services Pty Ltd has been appointed as Investigator to the Inquiry and will begin work in mid-2024. The Investigator will provide a report to the Commission to enable it to make recommendations to the Minister for Local Government on whether the council boundary changes should proceed as the Campbelltown City Council has proposed.

This work includes the development and delivery of an Engagement Plan that will ensure that local communities, affected councils, landowners and all parties with an interest in the future of this growing area can be well-informed as the Inquiry proceeds, and make their views known on any potential change.