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Blayney Shire

Coordinates: 33°32′S 149°15′E / 33.533°S 149.250°E / -33.533; 149.250
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Blayney Shire
New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Council Chambers, Blayney
Coordinates33°32′S 149°15′E / 33.533°S 149.250°E / -33.533; 149.250
Population
 • Density4.7587/km2 (12.325/sq mi)
Area1,525 km2 (588.8 sq mi)
MayorBruce Reynolds (Independent
Council seatBlayney[3]
RegionCentral West
State electorate(s)Bathurst
Federal division(s)Calare
WebsiteBlayney Shire
LGAs around Blayney Shire:
Cabonne Orange Bathurst
Cabonne Blayney Shire Bathurst
Cowra Cowra Bathurst

Blayney Shire is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Mid-Western Highway and the Main Western railway line, and is centred on the town of Blayney.

Blayney Shire consists of approximately 1,600 square kilometres (620 sq mi) of well watered, gently undulating to hilly country and the climate is partially suitable for cool climate crops and trees. There is also significant mining industry in the shire.

Towns and localities

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Towns and localities within the Blayney Shire are:

Demographics

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Selected historical census data for Blayney Shire local government area
Census year 2011[4] 2016[1]
Population Estimated residents on census night 6,985 Increase 7,257
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales 100th
% of New South Wales population
% of Australian population
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses
Australian 35.0% 35.4%
English 32.0% 31.1%
Irish 11.1% 10.9%
Chinese 7.4% 7.4%
German 2.3% 2.4%
Language,
top responses
(other than English)
German n/a 0.2%
Arabic 0.2% 0.2%
Cantonese n/a 0.2%
Tamil n/a 0.1%
French n/a 0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses
Catholic 31.0% 28.6%
Anglican 27.9% 24.2%
No religion 14.4% 20.8%
Not stated not reported 8.5%
Uniting Church 7.6% 6.8%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income Median weekly personal income A$553 A$620
% of Australian median income % %
Family income Median weekly family income A$1376 A$1581
% of Australian median income % %
Household income Median weekly household income A$1092 A$1227
% of Australian median income % %

Council

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Current composition and election method

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Blayney 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 14 September 2024, and the makeup of the council is as follows:[5]

Party Councillors
  Independent 6
  Independent National 1
Total 7

The current Council, elected in 2024, in order of election, is:[5]

Councillor Party Notes
  Bruce Reynolds Independent National Mayor[6]
  Michelle Pryse Jones Independent
  Karl Hutchings Independent
  John Newstead Independent
  Craig Gosewisch Independent
  Rebecca Scott Independent Deputy Mayor[6]
  Iris Dorsett Independent

Election results

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2024

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2024 New South Wales local elections: Blayney[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent National Bruce Reynolds (elected) 1,074 23.6 +9.7
Independent Michelle Pryse Jones (elected) 629 13.8 +0.6
Independent Karl Hutchings (elected) 622 13.7
Independent John Newstead (elected) 556 12.2 +3.1
Independent Craig Gosewisch (elected) 485 10.7 −1.6
Independent Rebecca Scott (elected) 450 9.9
Independent Iris Dorsett (elected) 394 8.7 +1.2
Independent Stephen Johnston 264 5.8
Independent Angus Norton 73 1.6
Total formal votes 4,547 94.1
Informal votes 284 5.9
Turnout 4,831 86.8

2021

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2021 New South Wales local elections: Blayney[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Scott Ferguson (elected) 1,036 22.7
Independent Bruce Reynolds (elected) 635 13.9
Independent Michelle Pryse Jones (elected) 605 13.3
Independent Craig Gosewisch (elected) 559 12.3
Independent Allan Ewin (elected) 526 11.5
Independent David Somervaille (elected) 443 9.7
Independent John Newstead (elected) 416 9.1
Independent Iris Dorsett 340 7.5
Total formal votes 4,560 95.3
Informal votes 224 4.7
Turnout 4,784 87.7

2017

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2017 New South Wales local elections: Blayney[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Scott Ferguson (elected) 1,329 30.9 +19.4
Independent Allan Ewin (elected) 605 14.1 −3.9
Independent David Kingham (elected) 447 10.4 −0.1
Country Labor Scott Denton (elected) 418 9.7 +9.7
Independent John Newstead (elected) 416 9.1
Independent Bruce Reynolds (elected) 393 9.1 +9.1
Independent David Somervaille (elected) 311 7.2 −0.1
Greens 272 6.3 +6.3
Independent Nyree Reynolds 139 3.2 +3.2
Total formal votes 4,299 94.82
Informal votes 235 5.18
Turnout 4,784 85.73

Proposed amalgamation

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A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the Blayney Shire merge with the Cabonne Shire and the City of Orange to form a new council with an area of 7,833 square kilometres (3,024 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 63,000.[10] Despite originally planning for the amalgamation to go ahead, the merger scheduled for May 2016 was delayed due to legal action, and in February 2017 the NSW Government decided not to proceed with the amalgamation.[11][12][13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Blayney (A)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 July 2017. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019. Estimated resident population (ERP) at 30 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Blayney Shire Council". Division of Local Government. Retrieved 28 November 2006.
  4. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Blayney (A)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 July 2017. Edit this at Wikidata
  5. ^ a b "Blayney - Councillor Election results". NSW Electoral Commission. 14 September 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Blayney - Councillor Election results". NSW Electoral Commission. 14 September 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  7. ^ "BRYCE REYNOLDS". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 17 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Blayney". ABC News.
  9. ^ "Blayney". ABC News.
  10. ^ "Merger proposal: Blayney Shire Council, Cabonne Shire, Orange City Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 7. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  11. ^ Davies, Anne; McKenny, Leesha; Neil, Dave (18 December 2015). "BREAKING NEWSOrange City Council to merge with Blayney and Cabonne". Central Western Daily. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  12. ^ "Orange City Council misses first round of council mergers" (Media Release). Orange City Council. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  13. ^ Nicholls, Sean; Visentin, Lisa (13 February 2017). "Orange-Cabonne-Blayney merger officially scrapped by premier". Central Western Daily. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
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Media related to Blayney Shire at Wikimedia Commons