NSW Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock will front angry mayors on Monday, with border closure permit changes made in the dead of night to be a hot topic of discussion.
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Greater Hume Shire is furious two of its major towns were left out of a newly created zone aimed at curtailing movement interstate.
Culcairn and Henty residents were shocked to learn on Friday their permits to work in Victoria had been cancelled and they cannot re-apply when others who lived in Holbrook and other places can.
Mayor Heather Wilton said the council had been given no explanation of the situation confronting Culcairn and Henty, where even critical workers could no longer travel interstate.
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"It's disgraceful," she said.
"If you don't go out of Culcairn or Henty to do anything it doesn't affect you, but there are plenty of people it does.
"They don't seem to understand the complexity of where people need to go to work.
"(The council) don't just employ people out of Holbrook and Culcairn, but we are just one organisation and there are many in the same boat."
Cr Wilton said it smacked of Sydney-centric decision-making with no regard for border communities.
"How would the people of Sydney react if those who lived on the north shore had to stay on the north shore and those south of the harbour had to stay there?" she said.
NSW cross-border commissioner James McTavish could not be contacted for comment by The Border Mail.
Australian Industry Group regional manager Tim Farrah said his office was bombarded with concerns following the changes.
"People with permits were left stranded and employers were expecting people to come to work, but they were stopped from doing so by the government without any due notice," he said.
"It wasn't the employer's fault their employees couldn't come to work.
"They've also got orders waiting and they've got to get the work out, but they are short on staff."
Mr Farrah said the situation also impacted those living in Victoria, including some who work in health care, and find themselves outside the newly created border region.
"It's not the first time changes have been done this way and why do they keep doing it?" he said.
"We've spoken to ministers, we've written to the Premier (Gladys Berejiklian), spoken to bureaucrats within Service NSW.
"Their arrogance is beyond belief."