Byron Shire
| Byron Shire New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location within New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 28°33′S 153°30′E / 28.550°S 153.500°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 29,209 (2011 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 51.542/km2 (133.494/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1906 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 566.7 km2 (218.8 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Mayor | Simon Richardson | ||||||||||||||
| Council seat | Mullumbimby | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Northern Rivers | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Ballina | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Richmond | ||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
| Website | Byron Shire | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Byron Shire is a local government area located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The shire is located adjacent to the Tasman Sea about 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of the Queensland border. The shire, administered from the town of Mullumbimby, covers an area of 566.7 square kilometres (218.8 sq mi), and has existed as a local government entity since 1906. The shire was named for Cape Byron, itself named by Captain Cook in May 1770 in honour of Admiral John Byron.
The Mayor of Byron Shire Council is Simon Richardson, a member of the Greens.
History
Byron Shire was created on 7 March 1906 under the Shires Act 1906 (NSW) as one of 134 local government areas in regional New South Wales. On 16 May 1906, a temporary council of five members was appointed to administer it, and elections were held in November. On 4 December, the council convened for the first time with William Baker as its inaugural president. William Baker was born in Great Stanmore, England. His cousin, Alfred Joseph Baker was the first person to score a goal in international football against Scotland in 1870.
On 1 July 1908, the Mullumbimby Municipality was created out of part of Byron. On 1 October 1980, the municipality and the shire were re-amalgamated by direction of the Minister for Local Government.
Towns and localities
|
|
|
Demographics
At the 2006 census, Byron Shire had a population of 28,766.[2]
| Byron | Region[3] | State[4] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 41 | 42 | 37 |
| Median weekly individual income | $383 | $370 | $461 |
| % of residents born overseas | 25.3 | 17.8 | 31.0 |
| % Indigenous population | 1.5 | 3.3 | 2.1 |
The most popular religious affiliations in descending order in the 2006 census were no religion (30%), Catholic, Anglican, Uniting and Presbyterian. A small Jewish minority also exists within the shire.
Population
Census populations for the Byron Shire and Mullumbimby Municipality between 1911 and 1966, sourced from the New South Wales Statistical Register, were as follows:
| Year | Total | Byron | Mullumbimby |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 7,504 | 6,553 | 951 |
| 1921 | 9,628 | 8,299 | 1,329 |
| 1933 | 9,329 | 7,967 | 1,362 |
| 1947 | 10,393 | 8,784 | 1,609 |
| 1954 | 10,921 | 8,904 | 2,017 |
| 1961 | 10,469 | 8,505 | 1,964 |
| 1966 | 9,953 | 7,972 | 1,981 |
Later census figures for the entire area are as follows:
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1976 | 10,916 |
| 1981 | 15,426 |
| 1986 | 18,342 |
| 1991 | 22,599 |
| 1996 | 27,007 |
| 2001 | 28,916 |
| 2006 | 29,423 |
| 2011 | 29,209 |
Council
Current composition and election method
Byron Shire Council is composed of nine Councillors, including the Mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is directly elected while the eight other Councillors are elected proportionally as one entire ward. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council, including the Mayor, is as follows:[5][6]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent| | Independents and Unaligned | 5 |
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Greens| | The Greens | 3 |
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independents| | Our Sustainable Future | 1 |
| Total | 9 | |
The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election, is:[6]
| Councillor | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Greens| | Simon Richardson | Greens | Mayor[5] |
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent| | Diane Woods | Independent | |
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Greens| | Rose Wanchap | Greens | Elected on Simon Richardson's ticket |
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent| | Sol Ibrahim | Unaligned | |
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent| | Chris Cubis | Independent | Elected on Diane Woods' ticket |
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Greens| | Duncan Dey | Greens | Elected on Simon Richardson's ticket |
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent| | Basil Cameron | Our Sustainable Future | |
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Labor| | Paul Spooner | Labor | |
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent| | Alan Hunter | Independent | Elected on Diane Woods' ticket |
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Byron Shire". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Community Profile Series: Byron (A) (Local Government Area)". 2006 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Richmond-Tweed (Statistical Region)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "New South Wales". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
- ^ a b "Byron Shire Council - Mayoral Election". Local Government Election 2012. New South Wales Electoral Commission. 12 September 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
- ^ a b "Byron Shire Council: Summary of First Preference and Group Votes for each Candidate". Local Government Election 2012. New South Wales Electoral Commission. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
