However in May 2015, the NSW government sacked our elected representatives and forced councils across the state to merge, including Queanbeyan and Palerang.

The result of the NSW government’s council mergers was the stripping away of democracy from our community.

Now, instead of having a number of elected members representing us, all we have is one unelected administrator.

It does not sit well with me that decisions are being made without the support of a democratically elected council.

Sadly, this undemocratic council is one that will be with our community until September 2017, as this is when the next council elections are scheduled to be held.

This is wrong.

I am calling on Mike Baird and the NSW government to bring forward our local government elections to March 2017.

Why should our community have to wait another 11 months to have democratically elected representatives on our council?

I have been seeking a meeting with the Minister for Local Government Paul Toole who has responsibility for this mess in the NSW government.

But he first cancelled an initial meeting we had planned, and now he refuses to have a meeting with me at all.

Mike Baird’s recent backflip on greyhound racing demonstrates that if the community make themselves heard then they can’t be ignored.

Let’s tell Mike Baird and the NSW government that we want democratically elected councillors now.

Mike Kelly,

Federal Member for Eden-Monaro