Gundagai Shire

Gundagai Shire New South Wales
Location in NSW
Coordinates	35°04′S 148°07′E / 35.067°S 148.117°ECoordinates: 35°04′S 148°07′E / 35.067°S 148.117°E
Population	3,747 (2013 est)[1]
• Density	1.5250/km^2 (3.9498/sq mi)
Established	1923
Area	2,457 km^2 (948.7 sq mi)
Mayor	Cr. Abb McAlister (Unaligned)[2]
Council seat	Gundagai[3]
Region	Riverina
State electorate(s)	Cootamundra
Federal Division(s)	Riverina
Website	Gundagai Shire
LGAs around Gundagai Shire: Junee Cootamundra Harden Wagga Wagga Gundagai Shire Yass Valley Wagga Wagga Tumut Tumut

Gundagai Shire is a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Hume Highway. Gundagai Shire is primarily rural, with a small population. 80% of the Shire's population live in the town of Gundagai. The four villages in the Shire are Coolac, Tumblong, Muttama and Nangus, with populations ranging from 40 to 90 people.

The Mayor of Gundagai Shire is Cr. Abb McAlister, an unaligned politician.^[2]

History

Gundagai was declared a Municipality in 1889, and Adjungbilly Shire Council created in 1906 to administer the district. The Municipality of Gundagai and the Adjungbilly Shire were amalgamated in 1923 to form the Gundagai Shire Council, which is the current administrative body of the area.^[4]

Proposed amalgamation

A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that Gundagai Shire merge with adjoining councils. The NSW Government considered two proposals. The first proposed a merger between the Gundagai and Cootamundra shires to form a new council with an area of 3,981 square kilometres (1,537 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 11,500.^[5] The alternative, proposed by Harden Shire on 28 February 2016, was for an amalgamation of the Cootamundra, Gundagai and Harden shires.^[6] The outcome of an independent review is expected to be completed by mid–2016.

Council

Gundagai Shire Council Chambers

In 1952 Gundagai Shire Council won a coveted A.R. Bluett Memorial Award for progress.^[7]

During 2011 Gundagai Shire Council was one of 110 state and local council authorities where employees were under investigation by the Independent Commission Against Corruption as part of Operation Jarek. It was claimed that employees of some state and local authorities had accepted benefits including gift cards and other items from companies in return for placing orders and continuing business relationships with these companies.^[8]

Current composition and election method

Gundagai Shire Council is composed of eight councillors elected proportionally from 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:^[9]

Party		Councillors
	Independents and Unaligned	8
	Total	8

The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election, is:^[9]

Councillor		Party	Notes
	Abb McAlister	Unaligned	Mayor[2]
	Ron Moses	Unaligned
	Mike Kingwill	Independent
	Peter Gain	Independent
	David Graham	Unaligned	Deputy Mayor[2]
	Mason Crane	Unaligned
	Ronnie Magnone	Unaligned
	Peter Batey	Independent

References

1. "3218.0 Regional Population Growth, Australia. Table 1. Estimated Resident Population, Local Government Areas, New South Wales". 3 April 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
2. "Councillors". Council. Gundagai Shire Council. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
3. "Gundagai Shire Council". Department of Local Government. Retrieved 9 November 2006.
4. "Potted history of Gundagai". Gundagai Shire Council. 2005. Retrieved 12 July 2006.
5. "Merger proposal: Cootamundra Council, Gundagai Shire Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 7. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
6. Harden Shire Council (28 February 2016). "Fit For Future: Alternate Merger Proposal - Harden Shire Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
7. "Councils Gey Awards For Progress". The Sydney Morning Herald. 25 August 1954. p. 14.
8. Public authorities – corruption allegations concerning acceptance of gifts and benefits; and alleged payment of fraudulent invoices (Operation Jarek). Independent Commission Against Corruption, New South Wales. 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
9. "Gundagai Shire Council: Summary of First Preference and Group Votes for each Candidate". Local Government Elections 2012. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.