Thank you for this informative posting.

Experiences from amalgamation of local councils in Australia point to higher efficiency but more investment/development in larger/more established centres - leaving underdeveloped areas further deprived.

In simple terms. cities get larger, remote areas get abandoned.

End results of population/emplyment/business/public services... decline in remote areas are self-reinfecting - accelerating decline. Schools, medical centres, shops and so on are forced to close down. People in remote areas are forced to travel longer distance, more time and at higher costs to obtain livelihood and services.

Amalgamation is efficient for big guys in cities but devastating for people in the bush -who pay the same landtax rate.