The year 2010 is the bicentenary of Macquarie's arrival in the colony as governor, and the committee organising the celebrations asked the council to write to Parliament to ask for the statue to be brought to the Hawkesbury, the site of the five Macquarie Towns of Windsor, Richmond, Pitt Town, Wilberforce and Castlereagh.

"He loved the Hawkesbury, and we'd love to have him here!" historian and 2010 committee member John Miller said.

"The committee discussed the statue at the last meeting and we decided 'let's have it up here'."

The statue was removed from the forecourt of State Parliament two months ago to make way for building renovations. It was commissioned by the Adler family for its Macquarie Street FAI Insurance building. When that building was demolished, the statue was given to State Parliament in 1998.

Mayor Bart Bassett said on Monday the letter asking State Parliament to consider giving the statue to the Hawkesbury was sent on September 30, but no reply had been received as yet.

"We do have a Macquarie statue, a bust at McQuade Park," he said, but would not be drawn on a suitable spot for the Sydney statue.

While Hawkesbury MP Ray Williams will be reading out a statement at Parliament next Tuesday detailing Macquarie's association with the Hawkesbury and pushing for the statue to be sent here, Riverstone MP John Aquilina said it is likely to remain on Macquarie Street, with the hot favourite site at the moment being outside the Conservatorium of Music on the corner of Macquarie and Bridge streets, "where he'll be commanding a large audience".

"There's no chance of the Hawkesbury getting it, it's too iconic a statue," Mr Aquilina said. "It was donated on the understanding it remain in the Macquarie Street precinct."