Goulburn Mulwaree Council
| Goulburn Mulwaree New South Wales | |||||||||||||
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 Location in New South Wales | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°44′S 149°44′E / 34.733°S 149.733°ECoordinates: 34°44′S 149°44′E / 34.733°S 149.733°E | ||||||||||||
| Population | 28,349 (2009)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 8.42/km2 (21.8/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Established | 2004 | ||||||||||||
| Area | 3,220 km2 (1,243.2 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Mayor | Geoffrey Kettle | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Goulburn[2] | ||||||||||||
| Region | Southern Tablelands | ||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Goulburn (from 2007 election) | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Hume | ||||||||||||
| Website | www.goulburn.nsw.gov.au | ||||||||||||
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Goulburn Mulwaree Council is a local government area located in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located adjacent to the Hume Highway and the Southern Highlands railway line. The estimated resident population of the area stood at 27,327 on 30 June 2007.[3]
The Mayor of Goulburn Mulwaree Council is Geoff Kettle, an unaligned politician.
Cities, town and localities
The area covered under administration is 3,220 square kilometres (1,240 sq mi) and includes, Goulburn and the towns and villages of Marulan, Tallong, Towrang, Bungonia, Windellama, Lake Bathurst and Tarago. Parts of the Southern Highlands, the Southern Tablelands and Morton National Park lie within the Goulburn Mulwaree Council area.
Municipal history
The council was formed as the Greater Argyle Council in 2004 as an amalgamation of Goulburn City and parts of the former Mulwaree Shire. It was renamed in 2005 following objections from the community.[citation needed]
Controversies
During 2011 - 2013, Goulburn Mulwaree Council has been at the centre of alleged breaches [4] of NSW Council Rules and Regulations. In late 2013, a Government investigation by the New South Wales State Government found that the Goulburn Mulwaree Council’s Multi-Use Centre Tendering Process breached established State Regulations, ruling that: "[Goulburn Mulwaree] Council contravened regulations, ignored tendering guidelines and offered unfair advantage to two tenderers including the successful tenderer, Bathurst firm, Hines Constructions." [5] The Investigation prompted multiple Council Internal Reform suggestions, as well as prompting the Council's General Manager Performance Review Committee to suspend the automatic employment renewal of Mr Chris Berry, the current General Manager of Goulburn Mulwaree Council, in September 2013.[6] On the 2nd of December 2013, a Wikipedia Contributor calling themselves "Goulburn Mulwaree Council" also attempted to delete encyclopaedic verifiable content on Wikipedia regarding Mr Chris Berry's automatic employment suspension.
In 2011, Goulburn Mulwaree Council partnered with Veolia Environmental Services in seed funding to make up $10,000 for an art award through the Goulburn Regional Art Gallery. The Award, known as the Veolia Environmental Services Art Award, prompted condemnation from the peak body for Australian visual and media arts (The National Association for Visual Artists or NAVA), as well as an independent investigation after multiple complaints alleging the winning entry breached the stipulated entry conditions.[7] The Investigation, completed by Planning, Environmental and Economic Consulting, resulted in a 22-page report where: "The consultant recommended that Council make a public statement to acknowledge grievances and the necessary improvements. Secondly, gallery staff should be proactive in engaging professionals, galleries and judges to develop and benchmark the entry and judging criteria." [7] Veolia Environmental Services discontinued its annual $10,000 support for the Award in 2012.
Council
Current composition and election method
Goulburn Mulwaree Council is composed of nine Councillors elected proportionally as one entire 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:[8]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Independents | 9 | |
| Total | 9 | |
The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election, is:[8]
| Councillor | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geoff Kettle | Unaligned | Mayor[9] | |
| Sam Rowland | Independent | ||
| Carol James | Unaligned | ||
| Bob Kirk | Independent | Deputy Mayor[9] | |
| Alfie Walker | Unaligned | ||
| Robin Saville | Independent | ||
| Margaret O'Neill | Independent | ||
| Andrew Banfield | Independent | ||
| Denzil Sturgiss | Independent | ||
References
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (30 March 2010). "Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2008–09". Retrieved 3 June 2010.
- ↑ "Goulburn Mulwaree Shire Council". Department of Local Government. Retrieved 15 November 2006.
- ↑ "Local Government Area populations". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2007.
- ↑ "Councillors condemn multifunction tender ‘mess’". Goulburn Post. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ↑ "Epic Fail: Council's multi-use centre tender process". Goulburn Post. 8 July 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ↑ "GM’s contract renewal on hold". Goulburn Post. 11 September 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Artists group demands gallery apologise". Goulburn Post. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Goulburn Mulwaree Council: Summary of First Preference Votes for each Candidate". Local Government Elections 2012. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Geoff Kettle re - elected as Mayor of Goulburn Mulwaree". Radio 2GN. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
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