2025 Snowy Valleys Council de-amalgamation referendum

Last updated

2025 Snowy Valleys Council
de-amalgamation referendum
Flag of New South Wales.svg
29 November 2025 (2025-11-29)
Should the Snowy Valleys Council be de-amalgamated and the former Tumut Shire and Tumbarumba Shire Councils be re-constituted as separate local government areas?
Votes counted
84.6%
as of 5 December 10:40 AEDT
OutcomePassed
Results
Choice
Votes%
Yes7,62587.28%
No1,11112.72%
Valid votes8,73699.31%
Invalid or blank votes610.69%
Total votes8,797100.00%

The 2025 Snowy Valleys Council de-amalgamation referendum was held on 29 November 2025 to vote on a proposal to de-amalgamate the Snowy Valleys Council and return to the former Tumbarumba Shire and Tumut Shire local government areas (LGAs) that were involuntarily merged in 2016. [1]

Contents

The referendum requires a majority (5,199) of all registered voters to pass, rather than just a majority among those who turn out to vote. [1]

As of the current count the Yes vote has successfully passed the 5,199 vote threshold required for the referendum to succeed despite the count only accounting for 85% of the vote. [2]

Background

Amalgamation

In 2016 the Baird Government, under Minister for Local Government Paul Toole, implemented a policy of forced amalgamations as a supposed solution to many regional LGA's financial problems. 152 regional LGAs were reduced to 112. This included Tumut Shire and Tumbarumba Shire which were involuntarily amalgamated into Snowy Valleys Council.

The amalgamation was strongly contested with the local group Save Tumbarumba Shire lobbying to prevent the amalgamation from going ahead.

In 2021, then-MLC David Shoebridge of The Greens successfully moved a motion calling on the government to end uncertainty around Snowy Valley Council's future, de-amalgamate the council, and bear the costs of that de-amalgamation. This was passed in conjunction with a duplicate motion by MLC Rod Roberts, then of Pauline Hanson's One Nation, relating to Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council. [3]

Previous de-amalgamation proposal

In 2020, Snowy Valleys Council put forward a formal de-amalgamation proposal. In 2021 that proposal was rejected by the then Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock despite a report by the state's Boundaries Commission, commissioned by Hancock, endorsing a demerger. [1] [4] [5]

Change of government

At the 2023 New South Wales state election, Labor took a policy of allowing for LGAs involuntarily merged in 2016 to attempt de-amalgamation to the election.[ citation needed ] After the election, Labor formed government and Ron Hoenig became minister for Local Government. [6]

In May 2023, a new independent business case was commissioned by Snowy Valleys Council and undertaken by Professor Joseph Drew of the University of Newcastle. [7]

In May 2025, legislation establishing a new framework for de-amalgamation came into effect. [8]

Key dates

This is a list of key electoral dates: [9]

Polling places

Electors were able cast their votes at the following places on polling day: [11]

Positions

Yes

List of Yes endorsements
  • Snowy Valleys Referendum, the primary Yes campaign [12]

Politicians

Community Groups

  • Tumbarumba Men's Shed
  • Tumbarumba Archive Group

Businesses

  • Goldspink Automotive

No

List of No endorsements

Politicians

Neutral

List of explicitly neutral positions

Politicians

Other

List of other positions
  • Riverina Greens (encouraged all SVG residents to vote and stated that a majority of members support the Yes vote) [22]

Unclear

List of relevant perspectives which have are currently unclear

Politicians

Councillors

Results

By polling place

As of 10:40 AEDT 5 December, at 85% counted. [23]

Polling placeYesNoInformalTurnout
Votes%Votes%Votes%Total%
Tumbarumba pre-poll1,17696.6413.410.11,218
Tumut pre-poll3,38084.661615.4411.04,037
Adelong 42886.56713.551.0500
Batlow 40889.74710.361.3461
Khancoban 17188.12311.910.5195
Rosewood 94100.000.000.094
Talbingo 5181.01219.000.063
Tumbarumba 33594.9185.100.0353
Tumut 77884.813915.250.5922
Tumut HS 21182.74417.320.1257
Enrolment/Provisional3100.000.000.03
Postal 51984.39715.700.0616

Aftermath

If the referendum succeeds, Snowy Valleys will be the second New South Wales LGA iunvoluntarily amalgamated in 2016 to de-amalgamate, following Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council who received the go-ahead in July 2025 when it was announced that it would return to Cootamundra Shire and Gundagai Shire. [24]

A $5 million grant from the NSW Government will be available to Snowy Valleys Council to cover the cost of the de-amalgamation process if it goes ahead, however this is to be given at the Minister's discretion and Hoenig has said he will make his decision after hearing business cases prepared by Council. [25]

According to SVC Mayor Cr. Julia Ham, the two new shires are planned to be declared by the Governor on 1 July 2027 with the current councillors to be appointed as administrators. [26]

Notes

  1. ↑ Telephone assisted voting is available for those with low vision or blindness and typically runs 8:30am to 5:30pm during the pre-poll period and 8am to 1pm on Referendum Day. [10]
  2. ↑ Hoenig declined to endorse a position on the referendum, saying "it's Snowy Valleys' vote", but said that if the referendum returned a "yes" vote he would ensure that the de-amalgamation goes ahead, as it is technically still at his discretion whether or not to proceed. [21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Mason, Edwina (15 November 2025). "Snowy Valleys residents weeks away from demerger decision day". About Regional. Retrieved 28 November 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ "Snowy Valleys Referendum 29-NOV-2025". results.elections.nsw.gov.au. NSW Electoral Commission . Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  3. ↑ Mason, Edwina (27 April 2021). "Town tensions rise as ratepayers bear the cost of merged councils". About Regional. Archived from the original on 24 May 2025. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  4. ↑ Prezet, Lauren (20 July 2021). "Southern NSW amalgamated councils denied request to reinstate old boundaries". ABC News . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 31 August 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  5. ↑ Isadore Bogle; Sally Bryant (21 July 2021). "Council denied request to demerge, prompting community outrage". ABC News . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 31 August 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  6. ↑ "Hoenig becomes NSW Local Government Minister". Local Government Focus. 14 April 2023. Archived from the original on 14 July 2025. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  7. ↑ "De-amalgamation Business Case". www.snowyvalleys.nsw.gov.au. Snowy Valleys Council. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 24 April 2025. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  8. ↑ Mason, Edwina (22 June 2025). "New NSW demerger pathway in effect as southern councils continue their quest for local control". About Regional. Archived from the original on 24 July 2025. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  9. ↑ "What are the key dates?". elections.nsw.gov.au. NSW Electoral Commission . Retrieved 22 November 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ↑ "Telephone assisted voting Snowy Valleys Council de-amalgamation referendum". elections.nsw.gov.au. NSW Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 22 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  11. ↑ "All polling places". map.elections.nsw.gov.au. NSW Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 22 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  12. ↑ "Snowy Valleys Referendum". snowyvalleysreferendum.org. Ingrid Becke. Archived from the original on 22 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  13. ↑ "Dr Joe McGirr filmed this message because someone needed to say it plainly". facebook.com. Snowy Valleys Referendum. Archived from the original on 28 November 2025. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  14. ↑ "Councillor voting 'yes' to demerge". Tumut and Adelong Times . 30 October 2025. Archived from the original on 25 November 2025. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  15. ↑ Malacari, Camillo (13 November 2025). "Adelong hosts referendum discussion". Tumut and Adelong Times . Archived from the original on 25 November 2025. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  16. ↑ Castles, Helen (25 September 2025). "Boundaries Commission backs breakup of Snowy Valleys Council". Tumut and Adelong Times . Archived from the original on 24 November 2025. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  17. ↑ "Tony a'Beckett". facebook.com . Julie Giddings McDonnell. Archived from the original on 21 November 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  18. ↑ "Southern NSW residents turn out in droves to oppose proposed council amalgamation". ABC News. 12 February 2016. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  19. ↑ "Take back the future Former snowy valleys mayor urges YES vote". facebook.com. SVC Oversight. Archived from the original on 25 November 2025. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  20. ↑ "Thoughts and opinions on the demerge referendum". Tumut and Adelong Times . 20 November 2025. Archived from the original on 23 November 2025. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  21. ↑ Simpson, Mark (20 November 2025). "The road ahead: what happens after the vote". Tumut and Adelong Times . Archived from the original on 23 November 2025. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
  22. ↑ "SVC RESIDENTS VOTE IN THE SNOWY VALLEYS DE-AMALGAMATION REFERENDUM THIS SATURDAY 29TH NOVEMBER". facebook.com. Riverina Greens. 27 November 2025. Archived from the original on 28 November 2025. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  23. ↑ Mason, Edwina (27 April 2021). "Town tensions rise as ratepayers bear the cost of merged councils". About Regional. Archived from the original on 24 May 2025. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  24. ↑ Hall, Tim (22 August 2025). "Referendum looms on NSW council split". councilmagazine.com.au. Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  25. ↑ Bunn, Anthony (25 October 2025). "Residents urged to 'vote yes to fixing a mistake' on council break-up ballot". The Border Mail . Retrieved 28 November 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ↑ Malacari, Camillo (30 November 2025). "Snowy Valleys voters say Yes to de-amalgamation". Tumut and Adelong Times . Archived from the original on 11 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
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