Mayor Bob Manning has stuck to his guns declaring he will not engage in a fight with anti-amalgamationists, preferring to let the people of Douglas decide the region's fate based on their experiences of Cairns Regional Council.

Council's official position is to not take a position on deamalgamation, but Cr Manning said should two crucial hurdles be crossed in the coming months - the Boundaries Commissioner and Minister for Local Government deciding to allow a referendum on the matter, and the people then voting in favour of deamalgamation - Council would make the transition as easy as possible.

Speaking with The Newsport on Friday, Cr Manning said Local Governments need to adhere to State Government decisions a variety of issues, and added that he agreed with the deamalgamation assessment process laid down by the State Government.

"I think what's being proposed is a sensible approach to it. There's an unhappiness within the communities. Certainly the former Douglas Shire feels it has not been treated well and you'll find that with other amalgamation affected Councils," he said.

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"The indications are, so far, that Douglas could be a candidate for demalgamation - could be - it's still got two boxes to tick at this stage.

"I think it's appropriate that we stand back and let that process go through, we don't try and influence it one way or the other.

"I've said it before and I've said it since, if the Government and the people of the former Douglas Shire determine they want to be deamalgamated we will do everything we can to make that happen as smoothly as possible.

"If they decide they want to stay, or the Government determines they've got to stay, then we will do everything we possibly can to make amalgamation work."

Cr Manning said he felt empathy for former Douglas Shire residents who were forced into amalgamation with Cairns City Council by the previous State Government.

"I have some sense of the concern and the loss that they have, I think that's perfectly natural for anybody who lives there.

"From where I sit I look at the whole of the region as we are at the moment. I see the synergies that exist at the moment and I'd like to think those could be made to work better.

"It's not in my nature to give up on anything. I've said before that amalgamation was never given a chance to work.

"At the moment we're in limbo waiting for this matter to be resolved."

He said that it was inappropriate for Council to spruik the benefits of amalgamation to Douglas residents.

"You're damned if you do and damned if you don't," he said. "If you go up there and start talking about the benefits of amalgamation, people are going to say 'why are you sticking your bib in here, this is our decision.'

"I think it's appropriate that we stand back and let people make their decision. People up there know what's good and what's not good.

"They'll make their decision, that's what democracy is about."

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