Mackay Region

Mackay Region
Queensland

Location within Queensland
Population 120,000 (2015)[1]
 • Density 15.7/km2 (40.8/sq mi)
Established 1869
Area 7,622 km2 (2,942.9 sq mi)
Mayor Col Meng[2]
Council seat Mackay
Region North Queensland
State electorate(s)
Federal Division(s)
Website Mackay Region
LGAs around Mackay Region:
Whitsunday Whitsunday Coral Sea
Whitsunday Mackay Region Coral Sea
Isaac Isaac Isaac

The Mackay Region is a local government area located in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas with histories extending back as far as 1869.

It has an estimated operating budget of A$118 million.

History

Prior to 2008, the Mackay Region was three distinct local government areas, the City of Mackay, Shire of Mirani and Shire of Sarina.

The City had its beginning in the Mackay Municipality which was proclaimed on 22 September 1869 under the Municipal Institutions Act 1864.[3] Its first mayor was David Dalrymple, and the council first met on 1 December 1869, It achieved a measure of autonomy in 1878 with the enactment of the Local Government Act. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Mackay became a Town on 31 March 1903, and was ultimately proclaimed a City on 17 August 1918.

On 11 December 1879, the Pioneer Division came into being as one of Queensland's 74 divisions created under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 on 11 November 1879, chaired by John Ewen Davidson. On 31 March 1903, Pioneer became a Shire. Two areas split away from it over the next decade; the Shire of Sarina on 1 January 1912, and the Shire of Mirani on 4 September 1913.[4]

On 21 November 1991, the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission, created two years earlier, produced its second report, and recommended that local government boundaries in the Mackay area be rationalised. The Local Government (Mackay and Pioneer) Regulation 1993 was gazetted on 17 December 1993, and on 30 March 1994, the two amalgamated into a larger City of Mackay, which first met on 8 April 1994.

In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released a report making recommendations for statewide reform of local government boundaries, and recommended that the three areas of Mackay, Mirani and Sarina amalgamate, due mainly to Mackay's role as a regional centre and all three shires' involvement in sugar production. The City of Mackay endorsed the suggestion, but the two shires proposed alternative options. In the end, the Commission's proposal was unchanged.[5] On 15 March 2008, the City and Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council.

Population

The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008. The next census, due in 2011, will be the first for the new Region.

Year Total Region Mackay Pioneer Mirani Sarina
1933 28,124 10,665 9,926 4,412 3,121
1947 32,947 13,486 11,606 4,587 3,268
1954 37,924 14,762 14,316 5,056 3,790
1961 41,196 16,809 15,741 4,760 3,886
1966 48,580 18,640 19,900 5,379 4,611
1971 51,903 19,148 22,561 4,772 5,422
1976 57,903 20,224 26,938 4,889 5,852
1981 66,057 20,664 33,732 4,739 6,922
1986 70,674 22,199 36,084 4,854 7,537
1991 76,372 23,052 40,614 4,625 8,081
1996 86,376 71,894 5,088 9,394
2001 89,877 75,020 5,220 9,637
2006 101,525 85,450 5,406 10,720

Wards

The council remains undivided and its elected body consists of 10 councillors and a mayor.

Towns and localities

Suburbs:

Towns:

Localities:

National Parks:

References

  1. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 March 2011). "Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2009–10". Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  2. ↑ Election summary (ECQ)
  3. ↑ 28 Vic No. 21 (Imp)
  4. ↑ Mackay Regional Council (2009). "History of council". Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  5. ↑ Queensland Local Government Reform Commission (July 2007). Report of the Local Government Reform Commission (PDF) 2. pp. 199–203. ISBN 1-921057-11-4. Retrieved 3 June 2010.

Coordinates: 21°08′28″S 149°11′08″E / 21.14111°S 149.18556°E / -21.14111; 149.18556

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