Premier Peter Malinauskas announced today that the state government will introduce a Bill to parliament this week to include an amalgamation plebiscite in November’s council election ballots for residents of Mount Gambier and Grant.

The state government says it is pursuing a plebiscite during the local government elections to save money and increase participation.

If the plebiscite shows support for amalgamation, it will result in a “more detailed” inquiry from the SA Local Government Boundaries Commission into the merits of a merger on the Limestone Coast.

The District Council of Grant, which has a population of around 8500, surrounds the City of Mount Gambier and includes towns such as Glenburnie, Port MacDonnell and Kongorong.

The City of Mount Gambier sits in the centre of Grant with a population of around 26,000.

Malinauskas said Mount Gambier’s population growth has put amalgamation on the agenda.

“One of the issues that’s raised with me every single time I’m in Mount Gambier or around there, is the really peculiar situation they have where there’s essentially a council in the Mount Gambier City Council that is effectively ‘donuted’ by the Grant District Council,” he told ABC Radio this morning.

“Mount Gambier has grown over the years, so the Mount Gambier population is increasingly residing within the Grant District Council area.

“Which really raises the question about whether is it currently the most efficient model down there to have two separate councils?”

Local government nominations close today. Ballot material will be sent to voters between October 14 and 20, ahead of voting closing on November 10 at 5pm.

There are currently 68 council areas across South Australia.

Malinauskas said he was not interested in “arbitrarily… changing boundaries” or “acting with a degree of belligerence” by pushing for further council amalgamations across the state.

But he left the door open for future amalgamations in South Australia if they receive community support.

“My view about council amalgamations is that they can be beneficial and meritorious depending on the circumstances,” he said.

“But they only ever work when there is genuine community support for the proposition.

“This is a model we’re putting forward and if it succeeds in this instance – and that’s a big if – then maybe we could look to do it elsewhere.

“But at the moment our effort is only focused on this discrete effort in the South East where we think there is merit to the idea.”

It is unclear whether the state government’s plebiscite legislation will pass the Upper House, where they will need support from the crossbench or the Opposition.