Kempsey Shire

Kempsey Shire is a local government area in the mid north coast region of New South Wales, Australia.

The Shire is located adjacent to the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line. Kempsey Shire was formed in 1976 by the amalgamation of the former Kempsey Municipality and the former Macleay Shire. At the last Australian Census, Kempsey Shire has a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people residing within its boundaries. Within the Shire's boundaries is a coastal strip that was identified in 2007 as one of the most socially disadvantaged areas in Australia.^[2][3]

The Mayor of the Kempsey Shire is Cr. Liz Campbell, an independent politician.

Towns and localities

Towns and localities in the Kempsey Shire are:

Demographics

At the 2011 Census, there were 28,134 people in the Kempsey Shire local government area, of these 50.2% were male and 49.8% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 11.1% of the population, more than four times the national average. The median age of people in the Kempsey Shire was 45 years; some eight years older than the national median. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 19.4% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 19.8% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 45.4% were married and 15.4% were either divorced or separated.^[1]

Population growth in the Kempsey Shire between the 2001 Census and the 2006 Census was 1.86%; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 Census was 2.73%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in the Kempsey Shire local government area was significantly lower than the national average.^[4] The median weekly income for residents within the Kempsey Shire was significantly below the national average,^[1][5] being one of the factors that place parts of the Kempsey Shire in an area of social disadvantage.^[6]

At the 2011 Census, the proportion of residents in the Kempsey Shire local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 81% of all residents (national average was 65.2%). In excess of 62% of all residents in the Kempsey Shire nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 Census, which was higher than the national average of 50.2%. Meanwhile, as at the Census date, compared to the national average, households in the Kempsey Shire local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (3.3%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4%); and a significantly higher proportion (91.9%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).^[1]

Selected historical census data for Kempsey local government area
Census year			2001[4]	2006[5]	2011[1]
Population		Estimated residents on Census night	26,887	27,387	28,134
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales
		% of New South Wales population			0.41%
		% of Australian population	0.14%	0.14%	0.13%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			35.3%
		English			31.7%
		Irish			8.3%
		Scottish			6.0%
		German			2.6%
Language, top responses (other than English)		German	0.2%	0.2%	0.2%
		Tagalog	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%
		Cantonese	n/c	n/c	0.1%
		Dutch	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%
		French	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Anglican	29.9%	27.7%	26.6%
		Catholic	25.9%	25.4%	25.1%
		No Religion	11.9%	14.6%	17.8%
		Uniting Church	9.8%	8.7%	7.6%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	3.9%	3.5%	3.2%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$319	A$386
		% of Australian median income		68.5%	66.9%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$614	A$902
		% of Australian median income		59.8%	60.9%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$737	A$748
		% of Australian median income		62.9%	60.6%

Council

Current composition and election method

Kempsey Shire Council is composed of nine Councillors, including the Mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is directly elected while the eight other Councillors are elected proportionally as one entire ward. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council is as follows:^[7][8]

The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election, is:^[8]

References