Release date: 13/11/22

Voters across the District Council of Grant and the City of Mount Gambier have opposed a proposal to examine a possible amalgamation of the two councils.

The question asked of South East electors was:

Do you support the examination of an amalgamation of the District Council of Grant and the City of Mount Gambier to form a single council?

With 70% of returned votes marked ‘no’, the plebiscites’ outcome means voters do not support the examination of an amalgamation of the District Council of Grant and the City of Mount Gambier to form a single council. Accordingly, no further action will be taken by the State Government.

The provisional results of each plebiscite are available on the Electoral Commission website, including the ward results for the District Council of Grant: https://www.ecsa.sa.gov.au/

Quotes

Attributable Clare Scriven:

The government was clear from the outset that the total vote would determine whether a proposal to amalgamate the two Councils would be examined.

We said we would act in good faith, based on the majority view and we have listened. I thank all the residents who submitted their vote over the past few weeks.

The people have now spoken, and their answer is ‘no’. Therefore, the State Government will not be referring this proposal to the South Australian Local Government Boundaries Commission.