Gloucester Shire

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

Gloucester Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	32°00′S 151°58′E
Population	4,877 (2011 census)
• Density	1.6521/km2 (4.2789/sq mi)
Area	2,952 km2 (1,139.8 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Mayor	John Rosenbaum
Council seat	Gloucester
Region	Hunter
State electorate(s)	Upper Hunter
Federal division(s)	Lyne
Website	Gloucester Shire
LGAs around Gloucester Shire: Tamworth Walcha Greater Taree Upper Hunter Gloucester Shire Greater Taree Dungog Great Lakes Greater Taree

Gloucester Shire (/ˈɡlɒstər/ GLOS-tər) is a local government area in the Mid North Coast and Upper Hunter regions of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is situated adjacent to the Bucketts Way and the North Coast railway line.

The mayor of the Gloucester Shire Council is Cr. John Rosenbaum, an independent politician.

Towns and localities

The Shire includes the following towns and localities:

• Gloucester
• Barrington
• Copeland
• Craven
• Stratford

Proposed amalgamation

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the Gloucester Shire merge with adjoining councils. The government considered two proposals. The first proposed a merger of Gloucester Shire and Dungog Shire councils to form a new council with an area of 5,200 square kilometres (2,000 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 14,000. Following the lodging of an alternate proposal by Gloucester Shire Council to amalgamate the Gloucester, Great Lakes and Greater Taree councils, the NSW Minister for Local Government proposed a merger between the Dungog Shire and City of Maitland. The outcome of an independent review is expected to be completed by mid–2016.

Demographics

At the [[Census in Australia#2011|2011 census]], there were 4,877 people in the Gloucester Shire local government area, of these 49.8 per cent were male and 50.2 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 4.7 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 Gloucester Shire was 50 years, which was significantly higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 16.0 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 26.0 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 54.7 per cent were married and 13.1 per cent were either divorced or separated.

Population growth in the Gloucester Shire between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 2.54 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 1.56 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 Gloucester Shire local government area was approximately one-third of the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Gloucester Shire was significantly lower than the national average.

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Gloucester Shire local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 86 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 66% of all residents in the Gloucester Shire nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was significantly higher than the national average of 50.2 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Gloucester Shire local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (2.0 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (96.0 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).

Selected historical census data for the Gloucester Shire local government area
Census year			2001	2006	2011
Population		Estimated residents on Census night	4,683	4,802	4,877
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales
		% of New South Wales population			0.07%
		% of Australian population	0.02%	0.02%	0.02%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			36.3%
		English			34.8%
		Scottish			9.0%
		Irish			6.7%
		German			3.5%
Language, top responses (other than English)		German	0.3%	0.1%	0.3%
		Cantonese	n/c	0.1%	0.2%
		Dutch	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%
		Italian	n/c	n/c	0.2%
		French	0.1%	0.2%	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Anglican	40.4%	37.5%	36.3%
		No Religion	9.8%	12.1%	16.5%
		Catholic	16.5%	15.7%	15.5%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	8.9%	8.0%	7.7%
		Uniting Church	8.1%	7.3%	7.3%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$343	A$422
		% of Australian median income		73.6%	73.1%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$846	A$971
		% of Australian median income		72.2%	65.6%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$665	A$810
		% of Australian median income		64.8%	65.6%

Council

Current composition and election method

Gloucester Shire Council is composed of seven 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:

Party		Councillors
Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent|	Independents and Unaligned	7
	Total	7

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

Councillor		Party	Notes
Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent|	Frank Hooke	Unaligned	Deputy Mayor
Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent|	Aled Hoggett	Independent
Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent|	John Rosenbaum	Independent	Mayor
Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent|	Jim Henderson	Unaligned
Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent|	James Hooke	Unaligned
Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent|	Tony Tersteeg	Independent
Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent|	Katheryn Smith	Independent