On 17 July 2025  the Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig MP announced the demerger of Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council (CGRC).   Council will now commence transition work to initiate the dissolution of Cootamundra-Gundagai, and establish two new councils.

CGRC Councillors met the minister in August, alongside local Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke MP and the Deputy Secretary of the Office of Local Government, Mr Brett Whitworth to hear directly from the Minister about the expectations of the proposed demerger.  The Minister made it clear that the demerger process is now firmly in the hands of councillors and that the outcome must be shaped by their leadership on behalf of the local community.

The Minister also acknowledged that the demerger of CGRC is a trailblazing exercise, setting the path for other councils across NSW that may seek to go through a similar process in the future.

As quoted by the Minister for Local Government, Ron Hoenig in a NSW State Government media release:
- “The work by the Boundaries Commission confirms what the Council had been saying since 2016 and what I had been saying since 2012. The former government’s ‘Fit for the Future’ policy was only a ruse to effect widespread amalgamations."
- “Let Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council serve as a cautionary tale for future governments and academics who believe that merged councils provide better economies of scale and better services."
- "May it stand as the folly that it was, so we can finally discard forced amalgamations for amalgamations sake into the waste bin of history.”

Relevant links

CGRC demerger news

Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council gets Minister’s support to prepare for a demerger

https://www.pittwateronlinenews.com/Protect-Pittwater-Update-July-2025.php