Muswellbrook Shire

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

Location in New South Wales
Coordinates 32°16′S 150°54′E / 32.267°S 150.900°E / -32.267; 150.900Coordinates: 32°16′S 150°54′E / 32.267°S 150.900°E / -32.267; 150.900
Population 15,791 (2011 census)[1]
 • Density 4.6/km2 (12/sq mi)
Area 3,405 km2 (1,314.7 sq mi)[1]
Time zone AEST (UTC+10)
 • Summer (DST) AEDT (UTC+11)
Mayor Martin Rush[2]
Council seat Muswellbrook[3]
Region Hunter[4]
State electorate(s) Upper Hunter[5]
Federal Division(s) Hunter[6]
Website Muswellbrook Shire
LGAs around Muswellbrook Shire:
Upper Hunter Upper Hunter Upper Hunter
Mid-Western Muswellbrook Shire Singleton
Mid-Western Singleton Singleton

Muswellbrook Shire is a local government area in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is situated adjacent to the New England Highway and the Hunter railway line.

The Mayor of the Muswellbrook Shire Council is Cr. Martin Rush, an unaligned politician.[2]

Main towns and villages

The Shire includes Muswellbrook, Denman, Baerami, McCullys Gap, Martindale, Muscle Creek, Sandy Hollow, Widden and Wybong.[7]

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 15,791 people in the Muswellbrook Shire local government area, of these 51.7 per cent were male and 48.3 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5.4 per cent of the population, which was significantly higher than the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the Muswellbrook Shire was 34 years, which was lower than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 22.8 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 10.6 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 47.0 per cent were married and 11.8 per cent were either divorced or separated.[1]

Population growth in the Muswellbrook Shire between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 3.25 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 3.64 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 Muswellbrook Shire local government area was approximately half the national average.[8][9] The median weekly income for residents within the Muswellbrook Shire was marginally higher than the national average.[1]

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Muswellbrook Shire local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 81 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 68% of all residents in the Muswellbrook 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 Muswellbrook Shire local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (4.3 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (89.7 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).[1]

Selected historical census data for the Muswellbrook Shire local government area
Census year 2001[8]2006[9]2011[1]
Population Estimated residents on Census night 14,756 15,236 15,791
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales
% of New South Wales population 0.23%
% of Australian population 0.08% Steady 0.08% Decrease 0.07%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses
Australian 36.2%
English 30.4%
Irish 8.1%
Scottish 6.6%
German 2.9%
Language,
top responses
(other than English)
Shonan/c Steady n/c Increase 0.2%
Cantonese0.1% Steady 0.1% Increase 0.2%
Italian0.1% Steady 0.1% Steady 0.1%
Thain/c Increase 0.1% Steady 0.1%
Mandarinn/c Increase 0.1% Steady 0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses
Anglican40.3% Decrease 37.5% Decrease 35.6%
Catholic28.0% Decrease 27.7% Decrease 26.1%
No Religion7.6% Increase 11.0% Increase 13.9%
Uniting Church5.2% Decrease 4.4% Decrease 3.9%
Presbyterian and Reformed3.8% Decrease 3.2% Decrease 3.1%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income Median weekly personal income A$453 A$619
% of Australian median income 97.2% Increase 107.3%
Family income Median weekly family income A$1,213 A$1,697
% of Australian median income 103.6% Increase 114.6%
Household income Median weekly household income A$1,060 A$1,399
% of Australian median income 103.2% Increase 113.4%

Council

Current composition and election method

Muswellbrook Shire Council is composed of twelve 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:[10]

PartyCouncillors
  Independents and Unaligned 12
Total 12

The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election, is:[10]

CouncillorPartyNotes
  Martin Rush Unaligned Mayor[2]
  Graeme McNeill Independent
  Stephen Ward Unaligned
  Gary Serhan Independent
  Rod Scholes Independent
  Brett Woodruff Independent
  Ray Butchard Unaligned
  Karen Portolan Unaligned
  Jennifer Lecky Independent
  Christine Phelps Independent
  Malcolm Ogg Unaligned Deputy Mayor[2]
  Janelle Risby Independent

Mayors

The following is a list of mayors since the Shire of Denman amalgamated with the Municipality of Muswellbrook to form Muswellbrook Shire Council on 1 July 1979.[11]

CouncillorPartyTerm of office
  J.H. Jobling Unaligned 19791986
  E.I. Wolfgang Unaligned 19861989
  I.E. Seymour Unaligned 19891999
  J.E. Colvin Unaligned 19992008
  Martin Rush Unaligned 2008present

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Muswellbrook (Local Government Area)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Post, Stacey (21 September 2012). "Rush retains job and gains new deputy". Muswellbrook Chronicle. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  3. "Muswellbrook Shire Council". New South Wales Division of Local Government. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  4. "Suburb Search – Local Council Boundaries – Hunter (HT) – Muswellbrook Shire Council". New South Wales Division of Local Government. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  5. "Upper Hunter". New South Wales Electoral Commission. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  6. "Hunter". Australian Electoral Commission. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  7. "About Muswellbrook Shire". Muswellbrook Shire Council. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
  8. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Muswellbrook (A)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  9. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Muswellbrook (A)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Muswellbrook 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 2 October 2012.
  11. Bill Spicer (18 June 2004). "Mayors, Alderman, Shire Presidents, Councillors and Staff" (PDF). Muswellbrook Shire Council. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
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