Snowy Valleys Referendum

Snowy Valleys Referendum Providing up-to-date, fact-based information for all towns of the Snowy Valleys so every voter can make an informed choice at the demerger referendum.

Local voices, local choices. Tumbarumba Shire Council has a great track record for getting things done in our Shire. In October 2015 it was declared 'Fit for the Future' as a Rural Council' and no merger partner was nominated. At recent public meetings the community made it very clear that Council should remain a stand alone 'Rural Council'. However, Tumut Shire Council proposed a merger of Tumut,

Tumbarumba and Gundagai Councils, or Tumut and Gundagai Councils. The Minister for Local Government has now proposed a merger between Tumbarumba and Tumut Councils and has referred this proposal to an inquiry. At the public meeting on Tuesday 19 January 2016 the hundreds of residents who attended ere told that the time frame is quite short. The subsequent inquiry will spent one day in Tumbarumba on 11 February and one day in Tumut. Members of the public were invited to appear at the inquiry and written submissions closed on 28 February 2016. In May 2016 the Minister decided to proceed with the merger, and Tumbarumba Shire Council ceased to exist as we became a part of the Snowy Valley's Council. This is our community - we are trying hard to ensure we have our say about our future! This page is independent of Tumbarumba Shire Council.

What is better than a celebration.........TWO celebrations of course. All SVC residents are invited to come along and ce...
02/12/2025

What is better than a celebration.........TWO celebrations of course. All SVC residents are invited to come along and celebrate Christmas 🌲🎅🌲 and also our historic de-amalgamation referendum YES win ✅ all towns and villages did their bit.

Being held this Saturday 6th December 4pm - 8pm at Goldfields Park Creekscape.

Free amusement rides, music, 20+ market stalls, food stalls, craft activities, face painting, Santa visit and Santa photos, games, lots of free stuff and a celebratory cake cutting of Tumba's biggest ever cake.

01/12/2025

Final results of the Snowy Valleys Council de-amalgamation referendum are expected to be announced today, with the NSW Electoral Commission…

Thank you to everyone who turned out and voted — you made this happen. The early results are in and they’re overwhelming...
29/11/2025

Thank you to everyone who turned out and voted — you made this happen.

The early results are in and they’re overwhelming. Across the Snowy Valleys, the “Yes” vote tallied 7,553 versus just 1,104 “No,” with only 61 informal ballots.

That works out to around 87.25 % YES and 12.75 % NO among formal votes. 

This is a hard-earned victory for the entire Snowy Valleys community.

It didn’t happen overnight. It took a decade of locals putting in the work — street stalls, markets, conversations, handing out flyers, putting up posters, and sticking with it even when it felt like nothing was moving.

Today shows what a community can do when it refuses to just accept the way things are. This result is built by ordinary people who cared enough to show up.

Well done to everyone who played a part.

Happy voting day !Every one of us has to turn up and vote — and we need you voting Yes.Get your mates together. Drop it ...
28/11/2025

Happy voting day !

Every one of us has to turn up and vote — and we need you voting Yes.

Get your mates together. Drop it in the family group chat. Message your neighbours. Tell your crew. No one should be sitting this out. If you’re enrolled in the Snowy Valleys, you must vote today.

Here’s where you can vote:

Adelong Services and Citizens Club
54 Tumut Street, Adelong

Batlow Literary Institute Hall
45 Pioneer Street, Batlow

Khancoban Community Hall
Mitchell Avenue, Khancoban

Rosewood Public School
91 Carabost Street, Rosewood

Talbingo Public School
Lampe Street, Talbingo

Tumbarumba RSL Memorial Hall
58 Winton Street, Tumbarumba

Tumut CWA Hall
148 Wynyard Street, Tumut

Tumut High School
Bogong Place, Tumut

Everyone you know needs to vote.

Everyone you know needs to vote Yes.

Get out there and get it done.

Authorised by Ingrid Becke, 1 The Parade, Tumbarumba, NSW.

25/11/2025

Across the Snowy Valleys, people are standing up for their communities.

Hands in the air shaped like a Y — a simple, proud way to show support for a stronger future for every town in our region.

Vote Yes on Saturday 29 November.

Or vote early at pre-poll:
Tumut CWA Hall
Tumbarumba RSL Hall

Your vote protects the future of your community.

Stand with your town. Vote Yes.

Authorised by Ingrid Becke, 1 The Parade, Tumbarumba, NSW, 2653

Bigger isn’t better. And this idea of “safety in numbers” has been pushed at us for a decade without a single result to ...
24/11/2025

Bigger isn’t better. And this idea of “safety in numbers” has been pushed at us for a decade without a single result to show for it.

Leeton Shire – a small, rural, independent council – has just won the AR Bluett Award for Rural Councils, the highest honour in NSW local government. That award isn’t handed out lightly. It goes to councils that are well-run, financially solid, community-focused, and delivering real outcomes for their people.

Here’s what matters for us:
Leeton and Narrandera were considered for merger at the same time Tumut and Tumbarumba were forced together — but they weren’t merged.
All four councils were deemed fit for the future.

Leeton stayed independent.
Tumut and Tumbarumba didn’t get that choice.

And the outcomes speak for themselves.

Leeton has thrived.
We’ve spent ten years going backwards.

Staff losses.
Rising costs.
Services cut or shut.
And a council that continues to lose millions every single year — money disappearing out of our region instead of being spent on our towns, our roads, and our services.

There is nothing wrong with wanting a brighter future for your community. It’s the most normal, reasonable thing in the world.

But hoping the current structure will magically turn around after a decade of decline isn’t realistic. Snowy Valleys Council’s own financial plan makes that painfully clear. It shows ongoing, growing losses for the next decade. The trend doesn’t improve. It worsens.

We’ve been told to accept massive rate hikes as if they’re just part of the cost of living. They’re not. Most NSW councils aren’t facing these increases. We are — because the merger stretched one council across too many towns, too many priorities, and too many kilometres. No management team can fix a structure that never worked.

Leeton proves what works:
Small, local, rural councils that stay focused on their own people.

After ten years, the pattern is obvious — bigger is not better.
If we want things to improve, we need a structure that gives our towns a fighting chance.

Authorised by Ingrid Becke, 1 The Parade, Tumbarumba, NSW, 2653.

19/11/2025

Dr Joe McGirr filmed this message because someone needed to say it plainly.

The forced amalgamations were a mistake. They haven’t worked. And they won’t magically start working if we sit on our hands.

If you want this sorted — properly sorted — you’ve got one job when you walk into the booth: tick Yes.

A Yes vote restores two local councils that can actually run on a model that works.

A Yes vote gets our towns back into our hands.

A Yes vote ends a decade-long mess the state government created and left for us to clean up.

Do your part. Vote Yes.

Authorised by Ingrid Becke, 1 The Parade, Tumbarumba. NSW 2653

If you live in Tumbarumba, Tooma, Khancoban, Jingellic or Rosewood, this referendum is your chance to bring our council ...
17/11/2025

If you live in Tumbarumba, Tooma, Khancoban, Jingellic or Rosewood, this referendum is your chance to bring our council home and take back control of our region’s future.

For nearly a decade we’ve watched services cut back, budgets blow out and decisions made by a council that’s far too big and stretched to look after us properly. The merger never delivered efficiencies — it delivered higher costs, fewer services and a council losing millions every year.

Voting Yes changes that.

A restored Tumbarumba Council means local people making local decisions. A smaller, rural council that understands our towns, our roads and our priorities. A council that isn’t wasting money trying to manage a massive area it can’t afford.

And here’s the truth every household, farmer and business owner needs to hear:

voting Yes absolutely saves you money.

Staying merged locks in much bigger rate hikes, every single year, with no say and no way out. Council’s own documents show the merged model is broken and getting worse. A restored Tumbarumba Council runs on a lean, efficient rural model that keeps more money in our communities and protects the essential services we have left from being stripped away.

This is about protecting our towns — our pools, our libraries, our parks, our facilities and the services that keep small communities alive. It’s about stopping the decline and rebuilding a council that actually works for us.

Bring our council home.

Protect the future of our region.

Vote Yes.

Authorised by Ingrid Becke, 1 The Parade, Tumbarumba.

If you’re not sure what or why you’re voting next week, take a few minutes to read this. It affects your rates, your ser...
17/11/2025

If you’re not sure what or why you’re voting next week, take a few minutes to read this. It affects your rates, your services and the future of your town.

If you live in Batlow, Tumut, Adelong or Talbingo, this referendum is your chance to restore a council that actually works for you. A smaller, local, focused council that understands your town, your roads and your priorities.

Right now Snowy Valleys Council is stretched across too big an area, trying to juggle too many competing needs. The result has been the same everywhere: higher costs, fewer services and ongoing financial losses.

Here’s the plain truth for your household: de-amalgamating saves you money.
Lower rates. Lower rents. More of your money staying in your community.

If we stay merged, rates go up significantly. That part is locked in.
If we de-amalgamate, the increase is far smaller — and long-term, you’re financially better off. These are council’s own figures.

This is your chance to fix it.

Pre poll is available in Tumut at the CWA Hall and in Tumbarumba at the RSL Hall from Saturday 22 November until Friday 28 November (except Sunday).

Voting is compulsory and fines apply.

Polling Day is Saturday 29 November 2025 with booths in Tumut, Tumbarumba, Adelong, Batlow, Talbingo, Khancoban and Rosewood.

For full details on how and where to vote, follow the link included in this post.

For ongoing updates and reminders, follow our socials as well.

Vote for a council that’s local, accountable and focused on your town.

Vote Yes.

Authorised by Ingrid Becke, 1 The parade, Tumbarumba.

https://elections.nsw.gov.au/elections/local-government-elections/snowy-valleys-council-de-amalgamation-referendum?brid=q-CNJXbm1M4xgwG4wMp01g

Address

1 The Parade
Tumbarumba, NSW
2653

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Snowy Valleys Referendum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Snowy Valleys Referendum:

Shortcuts

Share