Armidale Dumaresq Shire

This article is about the local government area. For the regional city, see Armidale, New South Wales.
Armidale Dumaresq
New South Wales

Location in New South Wales
Coordinates 30°30′S 151°40′E / 30.500°S 151.667°E / -30.500; 151.667Coordinates: 30°30′S 151°40′E / 30.500°S 151.667°E / -30.500; 151.667
Population 24,105 (2011 census)[1]
 • Density 5.6919/km2 (14.7418/sq mi)
Established 2000
Area 4,235 km2 (1,635.1 sq mi)
Mayor Jim Maher
Council seat Armidale[2]
Region New England
State electorate(s) Northern Tablelands
Federal Division(s) New England
Website Armidale Dumaresq
LGAs around Armidale Dumaresq:
Guyra Guyra Clarence Valley
Uralla Armidale Dumaresq Bellingen
Uralla Walcha Kempsey

The Armidale Dumaresq Council is a local government area in the New England and Northern Tablelands regions of New South Wales, Australia. This area was formed in 2000 from the merger of the original City of Armidale with the surrounding Dumaresq Shire.

The combined area covers the urban area of Armidale and the surrounding region, extending primarily eastward from the city through farming districts to the gorges and escarpments that mark the edge of the Northern Tablelands.

The Mayor of the Armidale Dumaresq Council is Cr. Jim Maher, an unaligned politician.

Main towns and villages

Villages located in the area include Kellys Plains, Dangarsleigh, Wollomombi and Hillgrove.

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 24,105 people in the Armidale Dumaresq local government area, of these 47.8% were male and 52.2% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 6.3% of the population which is nearly three times higher than both the national and state averages. The median age of people in the Armidale Dumaresq Council area was 35 years; slightly below the national median. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 19.1% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 14.4% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 42.5% were married and 10.7% were either divorced or separated.[1]

Population growth in the Armidale Dumaresq Council area between the 2001 census and the 2011 census was marginal. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in the Armidale Dumaresq local government area was significantly lower than the national average.[3] The median weekly income for residents within the Armidale Dumaresq Council area was below the national average.[1][4]

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Armidale Dumaresq local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 78% of all residents (national average was 65.2%). In excess of 58% of all residents in the Armidale Dumaresq Council area nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was higher than the national average of 50.2%. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Armidale Dumaresq local government area had a lower than average proportion (7.0%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4%); and a higher proportion (88.1%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).[1]

Selected historical census data for Armidale Dumaresq local government area
Census year 2001[3]2006[4]2011[1]
Population Estimated residents on Census night 23,920 23,368 24,105
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales 73rd
% of New South Wales population 0.35%
% of Australian population 0.13% Decrease 0.12% Increase 0.11%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses
Australian 31.5%
English 28.8%
Irish 9.7%
Scottish 8.6%
German 3.8%
Language,
top responses
(other than English)
Arabicn/c Increase 0.2% Increase 0.8%
Mandarin0.3% Increase 0.5% Increase 0.6%
German0.4% Steady 0.4% Steady 0.4%
Bengalin/c n/c Increase 0.3%
Cantonese0.3% Steady 0.3% Decrease 0.2%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses
Anglican30.4% Decrease 29.2% Decrease 26.9%
Catholic23.9% Decrease 23.2% Decrease 22.3%
No Religion18.0% Decrease 16.2% Increase 21.3%
Presbyterian and Reformed6.6% Decrease 6.0% Decrease 5.1%
Uniting Church3.4% Increase 4.7% Decrease 3.8%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income Median weekly personal income A$384 A$494
% of Australian median income 82.4% 85.6%
Family income Median weekly family income A$1,105 A$1,292
% of Australian median income 94.4% 87.2%
Household income Median weekly household income A$855 A$991
% of Australian median income 83.3% 80.3%

Council

Armidale Dumaresq Council office building. Armidale, NSW

Current composition and election method

Armidale Dumaresq 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:[5]

PartyCouncillors
  Independents and Unaligned 8
  Liberal Party of Australia 1
  The Greens 1
Total 10

The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election, is:[5]

CouncillorPartyNotes
  Margaret O'Connor Liberal
  Peter O'Donohue The Greens
  Jim Maher Unaligned Mayor[6]
  Herman Beyersdorf Labor Deputy Mayor[6]
  Bob Richardson Unaligned
  Andrew Murat Unaligned
  Laurie Bishop Independent
  Jenny Bailey Independent
  Colin Gadd Unaligned
  Christopher Halligan Unaligned

Proposed amalgamation

A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the Armidale Dumaresq Council merge with adjoining councils. The government considered two proposals. The first proposed a merger of the Armidale Dumaresq Council and the Guyra Shire Council merge to form a new council with an area of 8,621 square kilometres (3,329 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 30,000.[7] The alternative, proposed by the Armidale Dumaresq Council on 1 March 2016, was for an amalgamation of the Armidale Dumaresq, Guyra, Uralla and Walcha councils.[8] The outcome of the independent review is expected by mid2016.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Armidale Dumaresq (A)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  2. "Armidale Dumaresq Council". NSW Office of Local Government. Retrieved 20 November 2006.
  3. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Armidale Dumaresq (A)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Armidale Dumaresq (A)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Candidates in Sequence of Election Report: Armidale Dumaresq Council" (PDF). Local Government Elections 2012. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 14 September 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  6. 1 2 Hill, Kitty (24 September 2012). "New mayoral team to lead Armidale". The Northern Daily Leader. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  7. "Merger proposal: Armidale Dumaresq Council and Guyra Shire Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 7. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  8. Armidale Dumaresq Council (1 March 2016). "Merger proposal: Armidale Dumaresq Council, Guyra Shire Council, Uralla Shire Council and Walcha Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 7 March 2016.

External links

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