GREAT Lakes Council will defend its current boundaries and oppose any moves to have the Hawks Nest Tea Gardens area incorporated into Port Stephens Council.
Last week's meeting of the council held at Bulahdelah voted unanimously to support a mayoral minute that recommended a Great Lakes local government area established around the three major water catchments of Myall Lakes, Karuah Valley and Wallis Lake was still considered the most appropriate.
At the same time the council said it recognised and supported the rights of residents of the southern area of the shire to seek advice by community forum on any boundary adjustment.
The mayoral minute also recommended that the evidence available suggested that moving Hawks Nest Tea Gardens to another council would be to the detriment of its residents; would affect the council's viability; and result in the need to involve other adjoining councils in boundary changes or amalgamations.
It said the council had a 100 year history with Hawks Nest Tea Gardens, regarded the area as essential to the future growth of the Great Lakes, and had carefully planned for its sustained development.
The move came from the local chamber of commerce which recently held a public forum addressed by the mayors and general managers of both councils.
In presenting his mayoral minute Cr John Chadban said he thought the local community was being very poorly informed, even misinformed, on the issue.
"I don't think it is the most appropriate action for the residents of the area and I am confident that when the people do get the full information available they will not want to move to another area."
Cr Chadban said "No good will come of this.
"If our boundaries are changed it would have a great effect on the operations of the council because 10 to 12 percent of our business is done in this part of the shire.
"We would have difficulty keeping our staff in this section if the boundaries were changed.
"I want there to be categorically no doubt that we want Great Lakes Council to remain as the Great Lakes."
Cr Carol McCaskie, who represents the area, told the meeting that people had been raising the issue for years and that perhaps the council as a whole had been oblivious to it.
"It has got to the stage where a number of people in the community have harnessed it and it is reflective of some of the disquiet that some of the southern part of the Great Lakes shire feels. I'm sure that they would welcome recognition of it."
Deputy mayor Cr Jan McWilliams said, "We are the Great Lakes shire. We would completely lose our identity. We have to say a firm 'no' now."
Cr Len Roberts, one of three councillors from the southern area said, "I think we should be saying to the Local Government Minister we want to have a look at the whole boundary issue with Port Stephens and Great Lakes.
"We should say if there's going to be any sort of boundary change then the whole area should be in the melting pot.
"We do not, down our end, get to know what's happening in Forster Tuncurry. The thinking of the people in the area is southern based but I think we should stay where we are."
The mayor said Tea Gardens had three elected representatives in their community and that no community was better represented. "That group of people, I'd expect, would bring the needs of their community in to the forum."
Cr Lynette Lawry, who comes from Bulahdelah, said the council always seemed to be more Forster oriented.
"The second largest area of the shire is Tea Gardens Hawks Nest and if we had meetings down there three to four times a year it would show the people that we are inclusive."
Cr Linda Gill said that only a small handful of people were driving the move.
A lot of people supported the fact that they were with the Great Lakes because they were unhappy with the amount of development happening in Port Stephens.
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