Inverell Shire

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

Inverell Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	29°46′S 151°07′E
Population	16,075 (2011 census)
• Density	1.86788/km2 (4.8378/sq mi)
Area	8,606 km2 (3,322.8 sq mi)
Mayor	Paul Harmon (Unaligned)
Council seat	Inverell
Region	North West Slopes
State electorate(s)	Northern Tablelands
Federal Division(s)	New England
Website	Inverell Shire
LGAs around Inverell Shire: Goondiwindi (Qld) Goondiwindi (Qld) Tenterfield Gwydir Inverell Shire Glen Innes Severn Gwydir Guyra Guyra

Inverell Shire is a local government area in the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia adjacent to the Macintyre River and the Gwydir Highway.

The Mayor of Inverell Shire Council is Cr. Paul Harmon, who is unaligned with any political party.

Main towns and villages

The shire includes the town of Inverell and small towns and villages including Gilgai, Stannifer, Elsmore, Bukkulla, Ashford, Bonshaw, Yetman, Wallangra, Graman, Oakwood, Delungra and Mount Russell.

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 16,075 people in the Inverell local government area, of these 49.1 per cent were male and 50.9 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 6.5 per cent of the population which is approximately two-and-a-half times above both the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the Inverell Shire was 41 years; slightly higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 21.3 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 19.2 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 51.3 per cent were married and 11.8 per cent were either divorced or separated.

Between the 2001 census and the 2011 census the Inverell Shire experienced nominal population growth in both absolute and real terms. 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 Inverell local government area was significantly lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Inverell Shire was significantly below the national average.

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Inverell local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 88 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 68 per cent of all residents in the Inverell Shire nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was higher than the national average of 50.2 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Inverell local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (3.2 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (94.5 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).

Selected historical census data

Selected historical census data for Inverell Shire local government area
Census year			2001	2006	2011
Population		Estimated residents on Census night	15,020	15,510	16,075
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales		82nd
		% of New South Wales population			0.23%
		% of Australian population	0.08%	0.08%	0.07%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			36.8%
		English			31.7%
		Irish			8.2%
		Scottish			7.4%
		German			3.9%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Italian	0.4%	0.4%	0.3%
		Portuguese	n/c	n/c	0.3%
		Tagalog	n/c	n/c	0.2%
		German	0.1%	0.2%	0.1%
		Filipino	n/c	n/c	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Anglican	37.0%	34.0%	32.8%
		Catholic	23.7%	23.8%	22.8%
		No Religion	7.1%	10.7%	13.7%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	9.0%	8.2%	7.5%
		Uniting Church	4.7%	6.1%	5.8%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$352	A$430
		% of Australian median personal income		75.5%	74.5%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$840	A$963
		% of Australian median family income		71.7%	65.0%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$642	A$792
		% of Australian median household income		62.5%	64.2%

Council

Inverell Shire Council chambers

Current composition and election method

Inverell 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 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Independents and Unaligned	9
	Total	9

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

Councillor		Party	Notes
	Mal Peters	Unaligned
	Anthony Michael	Unaligned
	Di Baker	Unaligned	Deputy Mayor
	Paul Harmon	Unaligned	Mayor
	Barry Johnston	Independent
	Jacki Watts	Unaligned
	David Jones	Unaligned
	Phillip Girle	Unaligned
	Harold Castledine	Independent