De-Amalgamation Consideration
Council resolved to seek a de-amalgamation of Snowy Valleys Council into two new councils based on the boundaries of the former councils, Tumut and Tumbarumba.
- Council has been following the demerger pathway made possible by legislation introduced and passed by the state Government in 2024.
- A business case for de-amalgamation was developed and referred to the Boundaries Commission. The Commission then asked Council for more detail to outline financial impacts (including increases to rates), long term strategic plans, and the capacity of the new councils to deliver services.
- Following the reciept of this information, the Boundaries Commission then recommended to the Minister for Local Government that Council’s de-amalgamation proposal, including its implementation plan and financial sustainability plan, be supported.
- The Minister accepted this recommendation and gave his support for Council to hold a constitutional referendum for the community to vote on the question of de-amalgamation.
Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig said:
- “I know it’s been a long road to get here, but the work the Council has done putting together a business case has been necessary to ensure demerging would be a viable option.
- “If there is majority support in the referendum and residents are prepared to accept the financial costs, then the Council can progress with the transition work required to demerge.
- “If the referendum is rejected, the community and the Council must respect that outcome and get on with it.
- “The important thing is the communities of Snowy Valleys are given the choice to make this decision for themselves – not have it made for them by the state government which has no mandate to interfere with local democracy.”
Minister Gives Support for De-Amalgamation Referendum
DE-AMALGAMATION REFERENDUM
The de-amalgamation referendum will be held on Saturday 29 November 2025. The referendum will be conducted by the NSW Electoral Commission and voting is compulsory.
All enrolled voters in the Snowy Valleys must vote on the question:
“Should the Snowy Valleys be de-amalgamated and the Tumut Shire and Tumbarumba be re-constituted as separate local government areas? ” Yes/No
How a referendum works
A de-amalgamation referendum will pass if a majority of people enrolled to vote in the council area vote in support of the question.
For the Snowy Valleys Council de-amalgamation referendum, the majority will be calculated based on the number of people enrolled to vote in the council area as at 6pm Monday, 20 October 2025.
If a majority of people who vote in the referendum vote in favour, but this number is not the majority of people enrolled to vote in the council area, the referendum will not pass.
For more information about what a referendum is visit elections.nsw.gov.au
Council De-amalgamation Referendum Fact Sheet
Key Referendum Dates
- Monday 20 October - Close of rolls
- Tuesday 21 October – Postal vote applications open
- Saturday 22 November – Pre-polling opens
- Monday 24 November – Postal vote applications close
- Friday 28 November – Pre-polling closes
- Saturday 29 November – Voting day
- Friday 12 December – Postal vote closes
- Monday 15 December – Count complete
- Tuesday 16 December – Results declared
Postal Voting
Postal vote applications are now open. Apply online or download an application form.
Applications close at 5pm Monday, 24 November 2025.
Other important dates
- You must complete your postal vote by 6pm on referendum day, Saturday, 29 November 2025.
- Completed postal votes must be received by the NSW Electoral Commission by 6pm Friday, 12 December 2025.
- Registered General Postal Voters will automatically receive ballot papers in the mail for the referendum.
Polling Information
Pre-polling
Pre-polling will be available in Tumbarumba and Tumut from Sat 22 Nov to Fri 28 Nov
- Tumbarumba RSL Memorial Hall, 58 Winton Street
- Tumut CWA Hall, 148 Wynyard Street
- Saturday, 22 November - 9am to 6pm
- Monday, 24 November - Thursday, 27 November - 8:30am to 5:30pm
- Friday, 28 November - 8:30am to 6pm
Referendum Day Polling
Polling places will be open from 8am – 6pm on Saturday, 29 November 2025.
- Adelong Services and Citizens Club, 54 Tumut Street
- Batlow Literary Institute, 45 Pioneer Street
- Khancoban Community Hall, Mitchell Avenue
- Rosewood Public School, 91 Carabost Street
- Talbingo Public School, Lampe Street
- Tumbarumba RSL Memorial Hall, 58 Winton Street
- Tumut CWA Hall, 148 Wynyard Street
- Tumut High School, Bogong Place
Electors who will be travelling and unable to attend to vote in their area can postal vote.
These details may be subject to change. Check the NSW Electoral Commission’s website for up-to-date polling place information before travelling to vote in person. NSW Electoral Commission
Referendum Public Notices
DE-AMALGAMATION INFORMATION
De-amalgamation Flow Chart(PDF, 87KB)
The Minister has made it clear that as part of the referendum residents must be made aware they will be facing rate increases and other costs to support the demerged councils, so they can make an informed decision.
Financial Sustainability Plans
Tumut and Tumbarumba Councils (Proposed Two New Councils) Financial Sustainability Plan
Snowy Valleys Council Financial Sustainability Plan
Independent Business Case
Town Hall Community Meeting Presentation
De-amalgamation Application Timeline
- August 2022 - Council resolves to seek proposals for the preparation of a business case for the demerger of Snowy Valleys Council and the reinstatement of the former councils of Tumut and Tumbarumba, subject to the Minister deciding to allow the demerger of Cootamundra Gundagai Regional Council.
- November 2022 - Council appoints the University of Newcastle to prepare an independent business case capable of being submitted to the Minister for Local Government for de-amalgamation.
- February 2023 - Report author and project lead, Professor Joseph Drew of the University of Newcastle, engages with representatives of key stakeholder groups, Councillors and Council staff.
- April 2023 - Professor Drew returns to the region to host community forums where he presents his draft findings, answers community questions, and gathers individual feedback to help inform the final business case. This was the community's opportunity to hear the evidence and have their say.
- June 2023 - The completed Business Case is presented to Council and Councillors resolved to receive the 'Snowy Valleys Council Evidence Regarding Advantages and Disadvantages of De-amalgamation' report and commit to pursuing de-amalgamation subject to State funding.
- September 2023 - Council forwards the De-amalgamation Business Case to the Minister for Local Government, who subsequently refers it to the NSW Local Government Boundaries Commission (LGBC) for examination.
- April 2024 - Council appoints Peter Tegart, Always Thinking Advisory, to assist in the preparation of a De-Amalgamation Implementation Plan (DIP) and a Financial Sustainability Plan (FSP).
- May 2024 - the Local Government Amendment (De-amalgamations) Bill 2024 is passed, providing a mechanism for the Government to contribute to funding the costs of demergers incurred by councils.
- May 2024 – Council holds community information sessions to provide updates on the de-amalgamation proposal and share information on how to participate in the Boundaries Commission’s process.
- May 2024 - The Boundaries Commission holds public hearings in Tumut and Tumbarumba, where community members were able to present to the commission.
- November 2024 - Councillors endorse the Snowy Valleys Council Financial Sustainability Plan (FSP) and support ‘in principle’, the implementation of Scenario 4, which includes the implementation of a Special Rating Variation of 32.4% (in addition to rate pegging) over 7 years.
- December 2024 - Councillors endorse the De-Amalgamation Implementation Plan (DIP) and Financial Sustainability Plan (FSP) and agree to forward the documents to the Local Government Boundaries Commission and place them on public exhibition for community feedback.
- January 2025 - Town Hall Meetings held in Tumut, Tumbarumba, Talbingo and Khancoban to let the community learn more about the De-amalgamation Implementation and Financial Sustainability Plan and the De-amalgamation process.
- August 2025 - Minister Gives Support for De-Amalgamation Referendum