Modelling by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office has shown that it would cost residents $12.3 million to merge Wellington, Dubbo and Narromine councils as recommended by the Nationals' "Fit for the Future" policy says Country Labor candidate for Dubbo Stephen Lawrence.
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Mr Lawrence thanked Wellington for its support ahead of the election at a pre-polling station at the Civic Centre.
"The Nationals' plan to merge local councils in our region would cost ratepayers $12.3 million.
"Almost half of these costs will be changes to IT and communications systems - money which could be better spent improving local roads and sporting grounds.
"The independent Parliamentary Budget Office's advice makes clear that the costs of mergers are significant and unavoidable, but the savings they promise are uncertain.
Further, the Nationals' "Fit for the Future" policy has been exposed as a sham, with not one cent of the $258 million promised to councils allocated in the Nationals' budget or their election promise costings.
The independent Parliamentary Budget Office's analysis is based on the Queensland Treasury's review of the cost of council amalgamations undertaken in Queensland in 2009.
NSW Labor has ruled out forcing councils to merge.
NSW Liberal Treasurer Andrew Constance threatened councils with the "stick" of forced amalgamations if they did not agree to merge voluntarily.
