Nambucca Shire

Nambucca Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	30°43′S 152°55′E / 30.717°S 152.917°E / -30.717; 152.917Coordinates: 30°43′S 152°55′E / 30.717°S 152.917°E / -30.717; 152.917
Population	19,598 (2015 Est)[1]
• Density	13.14/km2 (34.0/sq mi)
Area	1,491 km2 (575.7 sq mi)
Mayor	Rhonda Hoban (Independent)
Council seat	Macksville
Region	Mid North Coast
State electorate(s)	Oxley
Federal Division(s)	Cowper
Website	Nambucca Shire
LGAs around Nambucca Shire: Guyra Bellingen Tasman Sea Armidale Nambucca Shire Tasman Sea Kempsey Kempsey Tasman Sea

Nambucca Shire is a local government area in the mid north coast region of New South Wales, Australia.

The shire services an area of 1,491 square kilometres (576 sq mi) and is located adjacent to the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line. At the 2011 census, Nambucca Shire has a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people residing within its boundaries.^[2] Within the Shire's boundaries is Bowraville, one of the most socially disadvantaged areas in Australia.

The Mayor of the Nambucca Shire is Rhonda Hoban, an independent politician.^[3]

Towns and localities

Towns and localities in the Nambucca Shire are:

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 18,644 people in the Nambucca Shire local government area, of these 48.8 per cent were male and 51.2 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 7.3 per cent of the population, nearly treble the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the Nambucca Shire was 49 years; some twelve years higher than the national median. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 17.8 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 24.4 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 46.6 per cent were married and 16.4 per cent were either divorced or separated.^[2]

Population growth in the Nambucca Shire between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 1.34 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census was 4.17 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78 per cent and 8.32 per cent respectively, population growth in the Nambucca Shire local government area was significantly lower than the national average.^[4] The median weekly income for residents within the Nambucca Shire was significantly below the national average,^[2][5] being one of the factors that place parts of the Nambucca Shire in an area of social disadvantage.^[6]

At the 2011 Census, the proportion of residents in the Nambucca Shire local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 82 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 58 per cent of all residents in the Nambucca Shire nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was slightly higher than the national average of 50.2 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Nambucca Shire local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (3.5 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (93.8 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent). Of the 60 Australian residents who stated that they speak Gumbaynggir, an Australian Aboriginal language, over half live within the Nambucca Shire.^[2]

Selected historical census data for Nambucca local government area
Census year			2001[4]	2006[5]	2011[2]
Population		Estimated residents on Census night	17,660	17,897	18,644
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales			71st
		% of New South Wales population			0.27%
		% of Australian population	0.09%	0.09%	0.09%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			33.4%
		English			32.6%
		Irish			8.7%
		Scottish			7.9%
		German			3.0%
Language, top responses (other than English)		German	0.3%	0.3%	0.2%
		Gumbaynggir	n/c	0.1%	0.2%
		French	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%
		Dutch	0.2%	0.1%	0.2%
		Italian	0.2%	0.1%	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Anglican	30.3%	28.1%	25.7%
		Catholic	22.1%	21.4%	21.8%
		No Religion	13.5%	17.8%	21.2%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	6.2%	5.8%	5.5%
		Uniting Church	6.8%	6.4%	5.3%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$296	A$377
		% of Australian median income		63.5%	65.3%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$562	A$853
		% of Australian median income		54.7%	57.6%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$642	A$700
		% of Australian median income		54.8%	56.7%

Council

Current composition and election method

Nambucca Shire Council is composed of nine Councillors, including the Mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is directly elected while the eight other Councillors are elected proportionally as one entire ward. The most recent election was held on 10 September 2016, and the makeup of the Council is as follows:^[3][7]

The current Council, elected in 2016, in order of election, is:^[7]

References