Residents should still be given another chance to have their say about whether Sunbury should be split from Hume, the Australian Services Union (ASU) has stated.
As reported by Star Weekly, the council split has been delayed until July 1 next year in order to address costing and service delivery queries.
Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins said too many questions remained unanswered about the separation, which had been scheduled for July 1 this year.
ASU secretary Richard Duffy said more than 7500 people had signed a petition calling for a compulsory vote.
A non-compulsory poll of Hume residents in October 2013 found 60 per cent of people favoured separation.
‘‘Given the information that has come out after the first vote, I think it is only fair to have a second vote,’’ Mr Duffy said.
‘‘Win, lose or draw, we’ll have to stand by the result.’’
Ms Hutchins has not ruled out a compulsory vote, saying she was not going to pre-empt the work of auditors, who are due to report back by the end of this year.
Mr Duffy said union members were extremely pleased the separation would not be ‘‘rushed’’.
‘‘They [members] were extremely worried about where they were going to work, whether they were going to be forced to move.
“There was so much uncertainty, whereas now there is some breathing space,’’ he said.
Sunbury Residents Association president Bernie O’Farrell said suggestions there had not been enough consultation were ‘‘hogwash’’ and that a report commissioned by the previous government found the separation was viable.
‘‘The former Liberal government was implementing the wishes of the community, especially in Sunbury,’’ Mr O’Farrell said.
Almost 900 people had voted in a Star Weekly poll on the issue by last Thursday. More than 55 per cent of them said the government should go ahead with the original plan for July 1.
There were 32.7 per cent of respondents who said the decision to delay the split was appropriate, while almost 12 per cent called for the entire plan to be abandoned.
