Narrabri Shire

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

Narrabri Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	30°19′S 149°46′E
Population	13,084 (2016 census) 13,135 (2019 est.)
• Density	1.00407/km2 (2.60052/sq mi)
Established	1 January 1981 (1981-01-01)
Area	13,031 km2 (5,031.3 sq mi)
Mayor	Ron Campbell (Independent)
Council seat	Narrabri
Region	North West Slopes
State electorate(s)	Barwon
Federal division(s)	Parkes
Website	Narrabri Shire
LGAs around Narrabri Shire: Walgett Moree Plains Gwydir Walgett Narrabri Shire Tamworth Coonamble Warrumbungle Gunnedah

Narrabri Shire is a local government area in the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Namoi River and the Newell and Kamilaroi Highways.

It was formed on 1 January 1981 from the amalgamation of the Municipality of Narrabri and Namoi Shire resulting from the Local Government Areas Amalgamation Act 1980.

The mayor of Narrabri Shire Council is Cr. Ron Campbell, who is an Independent.

Towns and localities

The seat of Council and major town in the Shire is Narrabri. Other towns, villages and localities in the Shire include Baan Baa, Bellata, Boggabri, Edgeroi, Gwabegar, Pilliga, and Wee Waa.

Heritage listings

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

• Narrabri, Bowen Street: Narrabri Gaol and Residence

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 12,925 people in the Narrabri local government area, of these 50.1 per cent were male and 49.9 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 10.7% of the population which is more than four times higher than both the national and state averages. The median age of people in the Narrabri Shire was 39 years; slightly higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 22.2% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 15.7% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, half were married and 10.3% were either divorced or separated.

Between the 2001 census and the 2011 census the Narrabri Shire experienced negative population growth in both absolute and real terms. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in the Narrabri local government area was significantly lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Narrabri Shire was significantly below the national average.

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Narrabri local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 88% of all residents (national average was 65.2%). In excess of 80% of all residents in the Narrabri Shire nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was significantly higher than the national average of 50.2%. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Narrabri local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (2.3%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4%); and a significantly higher proportion (93.6%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).

Selected historical census data for Narrabri Shire local government area
Census year			2001	2006	2011
Population		Estimated residents on Census night	13,800	13,119	12,925
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales
		% of New South Wales population			0.19%
		% of Australian population	0.07%	0.07%	0.06%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			41.2%
		English			29.5%
		Irish			7.9%
		Scottish			6.7%
		German			2.9%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Cantonese	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%
		German	0.2%	0.1%	0.1%
		Filipino	0.1	n/c	0.1%
		Afrikaans	n/c	n/c	0.1%
		Spanish	n/c	n/c	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Anglican	41.7%	40.5%	38.0%
		Catholic	26.9%	26.3%	26.3%
		No Religion	6.3%	9.5%	12.4%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	7.0%	6.2%	5.7%
		Uniting Church	5.1%	4.4%	4.2%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$410	A$520
		% of Australian median income		88.0%	90.1%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$1,034	A$1,246
		% of Australian median income		88.3%	84.1%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$792	A$982
		% of Australian median income		77.1%	79.6%

Council

2018 AR Bluett Award Recipient

The Narrabri Shire Council was awarded the prestigious AR Bluett Memorial Award in 2018.

The mayor and general manager (CEO) at the time were Cr. Cathy Redding and Stewart Todd respectively.

The AR Bluett Award is awarded to the most progressive council in the state (of NSW) judged by a Trustee panel for the Award. The Award is considered as "The greatest accolade a council can achieve" and "The pinnacle of local government achievement".

Winning the Award was quite a significant achievement, as the General Manager, Stewart Todd, had only been appointed for a little over 3 years in the role and was his first appointment as a General Manager.

Current composition and election method

Narrabri Shire 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 22 September 2020, and the makeup of the council is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Independents and Unaligned	9
	Total	9

The current Council, elected in 2020, in order of election, is:

Councillor		Party	Notes
	Cameron STAINES	Independent	Deputy Mayor
	Ron CAMPEY	Independent
	Maxine BOOBY	Independent
	Vacant	-
	Ron CAMPBELL	Unaligned	Mayor
	Cathy REDDING	Independent
	Lloyd FINLAY	Independent
	Annie McMAHON	Independent
	Robert KNEALE	Independent