Lockhart Shire

Lockhart Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	35°13′S 146°43′E / 35.217°S 146.717°E / -35.217; 146.717
Population	3,119 (2016)[1] 3,295 (2018 est.)[2]
• Density	1.07726/km2 (2.7901/sq mi)
Established	1906
Area	2,895.32 km2 (1,117.9 sq mi)[3]
Mayor	Rodger Schirmer
Council seat	Lockhart
Region	Riverina
State electorate(s)	Wagga Wagga
Website	Lockhart Shire
LGAs around Lockhart Shire: Narrandera Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga Federation Lockhart Shire Wagga Wagga Federation Greater Hume Greater Hume

Lockhart Shire is a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was created in 1906 and is an agricultural and pastoral area.

The main towns and villages in the Shire include Lockhart (950 people), The Rock (860), Yerong Creek (145), Pleasant Hills (130) and Milbrulong (35). It has 1302 rural residents.^[when?]

Galore Hill Scenic Reserve is located approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north of Lockhart.^[4]

Demographics[edit]

Selected historical census data for Lockhart Shire local government area
Census year			2001[5]	2006[6]	2011[7]	2016[1]
Population		Estimated residents on census night	3,391	3,180	2,998	3,119
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales			121st	119th
		% of New South Wales population	0.05%	0.05%	0.04%	0.04%
		% of Australian population	0.02%	0.02%	0.01%	0.01%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			34.6%	33.5%
		English			29.6%	27.6%
		Irish			10.4%	10.5%
		Scottish			9.2%	8.4%
		German			7.1%	6.1%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Cantonese	0.1%	0.2%	n/c	0.3%
		Vietnamese	n/c	n/c	n/c	0.2%
		French	0.1%	n/c	0.2%	0.2%
		Japanese	n/c	n/c	n/c	0.1%
		German	0.1%	0.2%	0.2%	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic	26.6%	29.9%	30.4%	29.3%
		No Religion, so described	n/c	7.3%	9.5%	17.3%
		Anglican	22.9%	22.0%	20.6%	16.8%
		Not stated	n/c	n/c	n/c	11.2%
		Uniting Church	15.3%	14.7%	12.2%	10.2%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$393	A$456	A$585
		% of Australian median income		84.3%	79.0%	88.4%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$1,034	A$1,069	A$1,408
		% of Australian median income		88.3%	72.2%	81.2%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$777	A$868	A$1,114
		% of Australian median income		75.7%	70.3%	77.5%

Proposed amalgamation[edit]

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the Lockhart Shire merge with the Corowa and Urana shires to form a new council with an area of 8,581 square kilometres (3,313 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 16,000.^[8] In May 2016 the Minister for Local Government announced that following an independent review of merger proposals, the Government decided that the Corowa and Urana shire councils merge to form the Federation Council; while the Lockhart Shire would not amalgamate.^[9]

Heritage listings[edit]

Lockhart Shire has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Chinese Crossing^[10]
• The Rock railway station^[11]

Council[edit]

Current composition and election method[edit]

Lockhart Shire Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as three separate wards, each electing three councillors. 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 10 September 2016. However, in C Ward there was an equal number of candidates, being those below, that nominated for election. There being no additional candidates, the election for C Ward was uncontested.^[12] An election was held for A and B Wards. The makeup of the council is as follows:^[13][14][15]

The current Council, elected in 2016, in order of election by ward, is:

See also[edit]

• Riverina Water County Council

References[edit]