Gunnedah Shire

This article is about the local government area. For the regional town, see Gunnedah, New South Wales.

Gunnedah Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Population	12,066 (2011 census)
• Density	2.4161/km2 (6.2577/sq mi)
Area	4,994 km2 (1,928.2 sq mi)
Mayor	Owen Hasler (Unaligned)
Council seat	Gunnedah
Region	North West Slopes
State electorate(s)	Tamworth
Federal Division(s)	New England
Website	Gunnedah Shire
LGAs around Gunnedah Shire: Narrabri Narrabri Tamworth Warrumbungle Gunnedah Shire Tamworth Warrumbungle Liverpool Plains Liverpool Plains

Gunnedah Shire is a local government area in the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Liverpool Plains in the Namoi River valley and is traversed by the Oxley Highway and the Kamilaroi Highway.

The Shire includes the towns of Gunnedah, Curlewis, Breeza, Carroll, Mullaley, Emerald Hill, Tambar Springs and Kelvin.

The Mayor of Gunnedah Shire Council is Cr. Owen Hasler, who is unaligned with any political party.

Geography

The Gunnedah Shire is situated 264 metres (866 ft) above sea level and is very flat; the tallest hills are 400 to 500 metres (1,300 to 1,600 ft) above sea level. The climate is hot in summer, mild in winter and dry, although heavy rain in catchment areas occasionally cause flooding of the Namoi River. Major floods cut transport links to Gunnedah, briefly isolating it from the outside world. The Gunnedah area is noted for its abundance of native wildlife, including kangaroos, echidnas and koalas. Koalas can often be found in trees within the town, as well as in the surrounding countryside with the help of signs placed by the local tourist centre.

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 12,066 people in the Gunnedah local government area, of which there was an equal number of males and females. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 11.3% of the population which is four-and-a-half times higher than both the national and state averages. The median age of people in the Gunnedah Shire was 40 years; slightly higher than the national median. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 21.1% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 18.4% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, half were married and 9.9% were either divorced or separated.

Population growth in the Gunnedah Shire between the 2001 census and the 2011 census was nominal. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in the Gunnedah local government area was significantly lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Gunnedah Shire was significantly below the national average.

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Gunnedah local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 87% of all residents (national average was 65.2%). In excess of 72% of all residents in the Gunnedah Shire nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was significantly higher than the national average of 50.2%. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Gunnedah local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (2.3%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4%); and a significantly higher proportion (92.9%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).

Selected historical census data for Gunnedah Shire local government area
Census year			2001	2006	2011
Population		Estimated residents on Census night	11,976	11,525	12,066
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales
		% of New South Wales population			0.17%
		% of Australian population	0.06%	0.06%	0.06%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			37.6%
		English			30.5%
		Irish			8.8%
		Scottish			7.6%
		German			3.2%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Mandarin	n/c	n/c	0.2%
		German	0.1%	0.2%	0.1%
		Portuguese	n/c	n/c	0.1%
		Cantonese	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%
		Italian	0.2%	n/c	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Anglican	39.3%	38.0%	34.7%
		Catholic	27.5%	27.2%	26.9%
		No Religion	6.7%	9.3%	12.8%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	6.9%	6.1%	5.4%
		Uniting Church	6.5%	5.6%	5.0%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$366	A$485
		% of Australian median income		78.5%	84.1%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$915	A$1,200
		% of Australian median income		78.1%	81.0%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$714	A$937
		% of Australian median income		69.5%	75.9%

Council

Current composition and election method

Gunnedah Shire Council is composed of nine Councillors elected proportionally as a single ward. All Councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is elected by the Councillors at the first meeting of the Council. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Independents and Unaligned	9
	Total	9

The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election, is:

Councillor		Party	Notes
	Gae Swain	Unaligned	Deputy Mayor
	Colleen Fuller	Independent
	Steve Smith	Independent
	Hans Allgayer	Independent
	Owen Hasler	Unaligned	Mayor
	Rebecca Ryan	Unaligned
	Tim Duddy	Independent
	David Quince	Unaligned
	Gwen Griffen	Unaligned