The Protect Pittwater community group has surpassed its target of 6,000 signatures on its petition to reinstate Pittwater as a separate LGA, representing around 10 per cent of Pittwater residents and meeting the threshold required for the matter to be referred to the NSW Boundaries Commission.
The milestone marks a significant moment for the Mona Vale, Avalon, Palm Beach and broader Pittwater ward community. Protect Pittwater gathered more than 4,000 signatures in its first drive, presenting them at Parliament House in March 2025.
When an additional 2,000 signatures were requested before the matter could be referred to the Boundaries Commission, volunteers took to the streets again — and have now cleared that bar, with the total climbing well past 6,000.
The petition will be submitted to the Minister shortly. An electronic petition has also been confirmed as acceptable, and Protect Pittwater is continuing its online drive to allow as many Pittwater residents as possible to be heard before the submission is lodged.
A community that remembers what it had
Pittwater was its own council from 1992 until 2016, when it was merged with Warringah and Manly councils to form Northern Beaches Council. The amalgamation was carried out despite Pittwater having been assessed as “Fit for Future” under the NSW assessment framework applied to councils at the time.
Protect Pittwater was established in 2017 by residents who wanted to reverse that decision. The group describes its mission as bringing back a lean, local council that listens to its community, safeguards the area’s natural environment and delivers better fiscal results with less bureaucracy. It operates as a non-partisan organisation.
Pittwater ward today covers a stretch of the Northern Beaches peninsula including Mona Vale, Narrabeen, Ingleside, Terrey Hills, Bayview, Church Point, Scotland Island, Lovett Bay, Elvina Bay, Avalon Beach, Bilgola Plateau, Clareville, Careel Bay, Whale Beach and Palm Beach. It is a geographically distinct area with a strong sense of local identity and an environmental character that many residents feel requires dedicated local representation to protect.
What the 6,000 signatures mean
The 6,000-signature figure is not simply a number — it carries procedural weight. The Minister indicated that signatures representing approximately 10 per cent of the proposed Pittwater LGA area’s electors (registered voters) would be the threshold required before the matter would be referred to the NSW Boundaries Commission for formal assessment.
Protect Pittwater Vice President Anna Maria Monticelli confirmed the group has now met that threshold and will submit the petition to the Minister.
Once the matter is referred to the Boundaries Commission, the process involves a formal public consultation period, an assessment of the financial viability of a separate Pittwater Council, and an examination of impacts on service delivery. The Commission then prepares a report, on which a final decision can be made about whether to proceed with creating a new Pittwater LGA.
Protect Pittwater Association President Simon Dunn had previously described the group’s confidence that the Pittwater proposal would be the next de-amalgamation matter referred to the Boundaries Commission, noting that two other NSW de-amalgamation proposals are already further along the same process.
Sign the petition or find out more
Pittwater residents who want to add their name to the electronic petition can do so at the link provided by Protect Pittwater.
For updates on the petition’s progress and submission, click here. Queries can be directed to the Protect Pittwater team via their website.
Published 19-June-2026
