Mosman successfully fought forced Council amalgamation.

In 2015 and 2016 the NSW government decided to amalgamate local government councils in city and country areas into larger ones with the objective of saving money. Mosman Council was to be merged first with Manly and Warringah, and then with North Sydney and Willoughby.

Mosman Council embarked on a fight for its life, Mosman Mayor, Peter Abelson, arguing that economically there would be no savings and that administratively it would not be in its residents’ interests. 

Residents, including Mosman Parks & Bushland were strongly opposed to the idea of amalgamation. Our view was that our parks and bushland would not be as well appreciated and understood by a distant council in which there would be only two representatives from Mosman.

We joined forces with a specially formed group, Mosman Against Forced Amalgamations; we made speeches, we wrote submissions, we attended rallies and court cases.

Many NSW councils were amalgamated, but eventually Mosman retained its independence.

At this stage, in 2021, some of the merged councils are campaigning for de-amalgamation.