Somerset Region
| Somerset Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location within Queensland | |||||||||||||||
| Population | 22,519(2010)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 4.18452/km2 (10.8379/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 2008 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 5,381.5 km2 (2,077.8 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Mayor | Graeme Lehmann | ||||||||||||||
| Council seat | Esk | ||||||||||||||
| Region | West Moreton | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Nanango | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Blair | ||||||||||||||
| File:Somerset logo.gif | |||||||||||||||
| Website | Somerset | ||||||||||||||
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Somerset, Queensland is a Local Government Area located in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane and centred on the town of Esk. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Esk and the Shire of Kilcoy.
The Somerset Regional Council, which administers the region, has an estimated operating budget of A$24 million.
History
The Durundur Division was incorporated on 11 November 1879 under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. Its name was changed to Esk on 5 June 1880 by proclamation. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Esk became a Shire on 31 March 1903.
The Shire of Kilcoy, historically part of the Caboolture Division and later the Shire of Caboolture, was proclaimed on 22 February 1912.
In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that Esk and Kilcoy amalgamate. Both councils opposed the amalgamation.[2] On 15 March 2008, the two Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect six councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council.
Wards
The council remains undivided and its elected body consists of six councillors and a mayor, elected for a four-year term.
Towns and localities
Population
The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008. The next census, due in 2011, will be the first for the new Region.
| Year | Population (Region total) |
Population (Esk) |
Population (Kilcoy) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | 9,874 | 7,654 | 2,220 |
| 1947 | 9,688 | 7,137 | 2,551 |
| 1954 | 9,458 | 6,985 | 2,473 |
| 1961 | 8,836 | 6,430 | 2,406 |
| 1966 | 8,463 | 6,120 | 2,343 |
| 1971 | 7,728 | 5,579 | 2,149 |
| 1976 | 8,193 | 5,970 | 2,223 |
| 1981 | 10,276 | 8,090 | 2,186 |
| 1986 | 11,686 | 9,109 | 2,577 |
| 1991 | 13,928 | 10,977 | 2,951 |
| 1996 | 16,530 | 13,391 | 3,139 |
| 2001 | 17,273 | 14,029 | 3,244 |
| 2006 | 18,426 | 15,002 | 3,424 |
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 March 2011). "Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2009–10". Retrieved 11 June 2011.
- ^ Queensland Local Government Reform Commission (July 2007). Report of the Local Government Reform Commission (PDF). Vol. 2. pp. 285–290. ISBN 1-921057-11-4. Retrieved 3 June 2010.