Qld: Amalgamation polls close in rural areas on Friday

AAP General News (Australia)
12-12-2007
Qld: Amalgamation polls close in rural areas on Friday

Rural Queenslanders are being urged to have their say on council amalgamations .. after
voluntary ballots in urban areas showed little support for the reforms.

Six urban councils .. Caboolture .. Caloundra .. Pine Rivers .. Gold Coast .. Noosa
and Redcliffe .. have voted overwhelmingly against the amalgamations.

In Noosa .. on the Sunshine Coast .. where a highly-organised anti-amalgamation campaign
was run .. more than 22 thousand people voted .. with 96 per cent of them voting against
the mergers.

But the results are non-binding .. and the state's councils will be cut from 156 to
72 from March regardless.

But Local Government Association of Queensland president PAUL BELL has urged rural
Queenslanders to take part regardless.

He says the ballot papers must be returned to the AEC no later than 2pm (AEST) on Friday.

AAP RTV gd/wf/crh

KEYWORD: COUNCILS (BRISBANE)

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