Delatite Shire

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Delatite Shire
Victoria
Location in Victoria
Population21,553 (2001 census)[1]
 • Density3.4662/km2 (8.9775/sq mi)
Established1994
Abolished2002[2]
Gazetted18 November 1994[3]
Area6,218 km2 (2,400.8 sq mi)
MayorFmr Cr Don Cummins
Council seatBenalla
RegionHume
State electorate(s)Benalla
Federal division(s)Indi, McEwen
LGAs around Delatite Shire:
Strathbogie Moira Wangaratta
Murrindindi Delatite Shire Wangaratta
Yarra Ranges Baw Baw Wellington

The Delatite Shire was a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the north-east part of the state. It covered an area of 6,218 square kilometres (2,401 sq mi) and, at the 2001 census, had a population of 21,553.[1] It included the towns of Benalla and Mansfield, and was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the City of Benalla, Shire of Benalla, the then Shire of Mansfield and part of the Shire of Violet Town.[3] In 2002 the shire was split into the Rural City of Benalla and Shire of Mansfield.[2] This process has been cited as an example of successful de-amalgamation by residents of other councils who are unhappy with the forced mergers that affected almost all Victorian local government areas in 1994.

The Delatite Shire Council had its seat of local government and administrative centre in Benalla, with a service centre located in Mansfield. The Shire was named after the county of Delatite, most of which was included in the shire.

De-amalgamation

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Following the 1999 Victorian state election, in which the Kennett government was defeated, dissatisfied residents of Mansfield began actively campaigning for the dissolution of the Delatite Shire. The Mansfield District Residents' and Ratepayers' Association (MDRRA) was formed on 5 January 2000 at a public meeting in Mansfield in which 750 attended, aiming to run candidates in the 2000 council elections on a platform of de-amalgamation.[4][5]: 10–11  David Parsons, a Mansfield solicitor, was MDRRA's inaugural president.[6][7]

MDRRA meetings were held in four out of Delatite's eight ridings to select candidates for council — the Mansfield-based Alpine, Lakeland, and Mansfield Central ridings, and the Swanpool riding, which straddled the border of the former Benalla and Mansfield shires.[5]: 12 [8][9] The group endorsed Jessica Graves for Alpine, Steve Junghenn for Lakeland, Will Twycross for Mansfield Central, and Don Cummins for Swanpool.[10]

The 2000 election resulted in all four MDRRA endorsed candidates winning their races, creating a council evenly split between MDRRA councillors and Benalla-based representatives.[5]: 12–13 [11][12] At a meeting of council on 23 March 2000, Ken Whan was elected as mayor of Delatite Shire.[13] Whan was nominated by Jessica Graves, who initially planned to nominate for mayor.[14] As a condition of being elected mayor, Whan promised not to use his tiebreaker vote in a way that would cause division.[14][15] On 6 April, Delatite Shire revealed the existence of an agreement signed by seven of the eight councillors, with conditions for when the casting vote of the mayor was to be used, an agreement to elect a mayor from Mansfield after the conclusion of Whan's term, and a decision to seek a review of the Delatite Shire.[16][17] The agreement was titled the "Commitment of Understanding", and referred to by Peter Chen of the University of Melbourne as the Swanpool agreement.[5]: 14 [18] It was published by the Benalla Ensign in full on 3 May 2000, and the terms of it are as follows:[18]

1. That Cr Ken Whan be elected as Mayor of Delatite Shire Council for a period not longer than the second Friday in April 2001.
2. That the Mayor of Delatite Shire for the subsequent term expiring on a date not later than the second Friday in April 2002 shall be elected from Councillors representing Swanpool, Lakeland, Alpine and Mansfield Central Ridings.
3. During the mayoralty determined in the manner indicated above, the Mayor undertakes not to use the prerogative of a second vote, provided under the authority of Section 90(1)(e) of the Local Government Act 1989, in a manner which is to the deliberate detriment of one group of council.
4. That the Council seek the assistance of the Victorian Local Governance Association and the Municipal Association of Victoria to approach the Minister for Local Government seeking his support for the conduct of a review of Delatite Shire's performance and community attitudes to the advantages and disadvantages arising from local government reform.

The only councillor not to sign on to the Commitment of Understanding was Eric Brewer, who represented the Benalla Gardens riding.[19] Brewer stated that he was opposed to being bound to elect a councillor from Mansfield as mayor, wanting instead to select the best candidate on merit.[19][20] Brewer also disagreed with the terms limiting the mayor's casting vote, arguing that the mayor should be free to use his second vote when it would create better outcomes for Delatite Shire.[19]

Despite being a supporter of Delatite Shire's existence, Whan stated in September 2000 that if a vote of the shire's residents was held immediately, it would likely result in 90 percent approving of de-amalgamation. He compared the situation to the division of Korea, with "the north wanting to go one way and the south wanting to go another".[21] Feelings were inflamed in the shire to the point that, per The Age, some Mansfield residents deliberately avoided Benalla for shopping, instead driving to the more distant town of Shepparton.[21]

The state government ultimately allowed for a council-funded study, which would investigate costs associated with de-amalgamation and determine community support for boundary changes in Delatite Shire. Miriam O'Brien Consulting was the firm employed to conduct the study.[5]: 14  Following the announcement of the study, political organisations in Benalla began to form with the aim of providing input in the review process — the Benalla and District Residents' Association (BADRA) and the Benalla and District Residents' and Ratepayers Association (BADRRA, which would later rename to Benalla First to prevent confusion). BADRA held no position on de-amalgamation, focusing on issues of local governance and community consultation in the northern end of Delatite, while BADRRA staunchly opposed de-amalgamation.[5]: 14–15 

The late emergence of the two Benalla groups meant that they were unable to have any input on the development of the council-funded review.[5]: 15  Additionally, the conflicting views of the organisations meant that neither was able to act as a single, unified voice for Benalla. A poor relationship between the two groups meant that conflict between BADRA and Benalla First often took place in the press. John Brownstein, the founder of BADRA, argued that the town's chamber of commerce, Action Benalla, and the Benalla Ensign, took a strong stance on de-amalgamation, leading them to treat his group unfairly. No such acrimony existed in Mansfield, where MDRRA and the Mansfield and District Tourism Association both advocated for de-amalgamation and had a cordial relationship.[5]: 16–18 

The report from Miriam O'Brien Consulting ultimately concluded that a majority of Shire of Delatite residents were supportive of the shire's division. However, while there was a high level of engagement with the review, participants were far more likely to be from the Mansfield end of the shire — 63 residents from Mansfield gave verbal presentations to the consultants, as opposed to 15 from Benalla, and public information sessions were attended by 900 in Mansfield and 150 in Benalla.[5]: 19, 21 

While a small number of residents in Mansfield believed a referendum should take place on de-amalgamation, the findings of the report in favour of division, the result of the 2000 council election, and the cost of a potential referendum were all viewed as reasons for a referendum not to go ahead.[5]: 24  A government review panel, established in March 2002, analysed the feasibility of de-amalgamation in Delatite, but chose not to undertake "extensive community consultation" due to the previous council-funded report.[5]: 27 [22] Delatite Shire was announced to be de-amalgamated on 22 July 2002 by Premier Steve Bracks, with elections scheduled for the new Benalla and Mansfield shires in March 2003.[5]: 30 

References

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  1. ^ a b "2001 Delatite (S), Census All persons QuickStats". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 20 September 2025. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b Victoria Government Gazette – Online Search (1998). "G42 of 2002: Order estg the Rural City of Benalla and Shire of Mansfield" (PDF). Victoria Government Gazette. State Government of Victoria (published 17 October 2002). pp. 85–97. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b Victoria Government Gazette – Online Archive (1837–1997). "S87 of 1994: Order estg (Part 7) the Shire of Delatite". State Library of Victoria. State Government of Victoria (published 18 November 1994). p. 4. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  4. ^ "People power backs shire review". Mansfield Courier. 12 January 2002. pp. 1, 11.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Chen, Peter (2002). 'They're Not Like Us' – The De-amalgamation of Delatite Shire. Australasian Politicial Studies Conference. Archived from the original on 2 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
  6. ^ "Leadership talent to make it happen". Mansfield Courier. 12 January 2000. p. 11.
  7. ^ "Support for shire audit". Benalla Ensign. 12 January 2000. p. 3.
  8. ^ Bechaz, Graeme (19 January 2000). "Council battle looms". Benalla Ensign. p. 5.
  9. ^ Rudzki, Louise (26 January 2000). "Voters turnout for ratepayers' meetings". Mansfield Courier. p. 5.
  10. ^ Rudzki, Louise (9 February 2000). "Make Mansfield Matter: candidates". Mansfield Courier. p. 3.
  11. ^ Dunlop, Paul (22 March 2000). "Delatite election upheaval". Mansfield Courier. pp. 1, 3.
  12. ^ Skelton, Darren (22 March 2000). "Split council". Benalla Ensign. pp. 1, 6.
  13. ^ Skelton, Darren (5 April 2000). "Mayor strikes deal". Benalla Ensign. p. 3.
  14. ^ a b "Whan unopposed in mayoral election". Benalla Ensign. 5 April 2000. p. 3.
  15. ^ Dunlop, Paul (5 April 2000). "Now for review". Mansfield Courier. pp. 1, 7.
  16. ^ Dunlop, Paul (12 April 2000). "Mayor lifts lid on council pact". Mansfield Courier. p. 3.
  17. ^ Bechaz, Graeme (12 April 2000). "Pact revealed". Benalla Ensign. p. 1..
  18. ^ a b "Shire mayor deal released". Benalla Ensign. 3 May 2000. p. 13.
  19. ^ a b c Bechaz, Graeme (31 May 2000). "Why I didn't sign: Brewer". Benalla Ensign. p. 3.
  20. ^ "Refusal matter of principle: Brewer". Mansfield Courier. 12 April 2000. p. 3.
  21. ^ a b Strong, Geoff (25 September 2000). "Unhappy council merger heads for divorce". The Age. p. 4.
  22. ^ Review of the possible restructuring of Delatite Shire (PDF). Department of Government Services (Report). Victoria State Government. July 2002. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 April 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025. However, we did not undertake an extensive community consultation as this had already been done by the Delatite Shire Council in 2001 and we felt there was no need to repeat this process.
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