Tenterfield Shire

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

Tenterfield Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	29°03′09″S 152°01′07″E
Population	6,811 (2011 census)
• Density	0.92894/km2 (2.4059/sq mi)
Area	7,332 km2 (2,830.9 sq mi)
Mayor	Peter Petty (Unaligned)
Council seat	Tenterfield
Region	New England
State electorate(s)	Lismore
Federal Division(s)	New England
Website	Tenterfield Shire
LGAs around Tenterfield Shire: Southern Downs (Qld) Southern Downs (Qld) Kyogle Inverell Tenterfield Shire Richmond Valley Glen Innes Severn Glen Innes Severn Clarence Valley

Tenterfield Shire is a local government area located in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is situated adjacent to the New England Highway.

The Mayor of the Tenterfield Shire Council is Cr. Peter Petty, an unaligned politician.

Main towns, villages and localities

The Shire includes the town of Tenterfield and villages including Drake, Jennings, Liston, Legume, Bolivia, Sandy Flat, Stannum, Torrington, Urbenville and Mingoola. Localities include Amosfield, Boonoo Boonoo, Maryland, Sunnyside and Willsons Downfall.

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 6,811 people in the Tenterfield 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 6.8 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 Tenterfield Shire was 47 years; significantly higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 19.0 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 20.9 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 50.4 per cent were married and 15.1 per cent were either divorced or separated.

Between the 2001 census and the 2011 census the Tenterfield 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 Tenterfield Shire local government area was significantly lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Tenterfield Shire was significantly below the national average; in some cases, nearly half the national average.

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Tenterfield Shire 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 Tenterfield 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 Tenterfield Shire local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (3.6 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (92.2 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 Tenterfield Shire local government area
Census year			2001	2006	2011
Population		Estimated residents on Census night	6,363	6,534	6,811
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales		117th
		% of New South Wales population		0.10%	0.10%
		% of Australian population	0.03%	0.03%	0.03%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			31.0%
		English			29.9%
		Irish			10.0%
		Scottish			7.9%
		German			5.4%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Italian	0.8%	0.7%	0.5%
		German	0.3%	0.4%	0.4%
		Bandjalang	n/c	n/c	0.2%
		French	n/c	0.1%	0.1%
		Filipino	n/c	n/c	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Anglican	31.5%	30.0%	27.6%
		Catholic	24.3%	24.4%	23.8%
		No Religion	10.6%	14.0%	17.9%
		Uniting Church	8.5%	6.9%	5.8%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	6.0%	5.7%	5.3%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$307	A$377
		% of Australian median personal income		65.9%	65.3%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$695	A$865
		% of Australian median family income		59.4%	58.4%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$583	A$694
		% of Australian median household income		56.8%	56.2%

Council

Tenterfield Shire Council, Rouse Street, Tenterfield.

Current composition and election method

Tenterfield Shire Council is composed of ten Councillors elected proportionally as five separate wards, each electing two Councillors. All Councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is 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
	Independent and Unaligned	10
	Total	10

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

Ward	Councillor		Party	Notes
Ward A		Peter Petty	Unaligned	Mayor
		Gary Verri	Independent
Ward B		Tom Peters	Unaligned
		Blair Maxwell	Independent
Ward C		Brian Murray	Independent
		Mary Leahey	Independent
Ward C		Carol Schiffmann	Unaligned
		Don Forbes	Independent
Ward C		Toni Hull	Independent
		Michale Petrie	Unaligned