Blayney Shire
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Blayney Shire is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Mid-Western Highway and the Main Western railway line, and is centred on the town of Blayney.
Blayney Shire consists of approximately 1,600 square kilometres (620 sq mi) of well watered, gently undulating to hilly country and the climate is partially suitable for cool climate crops and trees. There is also significant mining industry in the shire.
Towns and localities
Towns and localities within the Blayney Shire are:
- Blayney (Town)
- Athol (Locality)
- Barry (Village)
- Carcoar (Village)
- Forest Reefs (Locality)
- Garland (Locality)
- Hobbys Yards (Village)
- Junction Reefs (Locality)
- Kings Plains (Locality)
- Lyndhurst (Village)
- Mandurama (Village)
- Millthorpe (Village)
- Neville (Village)
- Newbridge (Village)
- Wombiana (Locality)
- Gallymont (Locality)
- Burnt Yards (Locality)
- Errowanbang (Locality)
- Panuara (Locality)
- Tallwood (Locality)
- Moorilda (Locality)
Demographics
| Selected historical census data for Blayney Shire local government area | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 2011 | 2016 | |
| Population | Estimated residents on census night | 6,985 | 7,257 |
| LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | 100th | ||
| % of New South Wales population | |||
| % of Australian population | |||
| Cultural and language diversity | |||
| Ancestry, top responses | Australian | 35.0% | 35.4% |
| English | 32.0% | 31.1% | |
| Irish | 11.1% | 10.9% | |
| Chinese | 7.4% | 7.4% | |
| German | 2.3% | 2.4% | |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | German | n/a | 0.2% |
| Arabic | 0.2% | 0.2% | |
| Cantonese | n/a | 0.2% | |
| Tamil | n/a | 0.1% | |
| French | n/a | 0.1% | |
| Religious affiliation | |||
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 31.0% | 28.6% |
| Anglican | 27.9% | 24.2% | |
| No religion | 14.4% | 20.8% | |
| Not stated | not reported | 8.5% | |
| Uniting Church | 7.6% | 6.8% | |
| Median weekly incomes | |||
| Personal income | Median weekly personal income | A$553 | A$620 |
| % of Australian median income | % | % | |
| Family income | Median weekly family income | A$1376 | A$1581 |
| % of Australian median income | % | % | |
| Household income | Median weekly household income | A$1092 | A$1227 |
| % of Australian median income | % | % |
Council
Current composition and election method
Blayney Shire Council is composed of seven 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 14 September 2024, and the makeup of the council is as follows:
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 6 | |
| Independent National | 1 | |
| Total | 7 |
The current Council, elected in 2024, is:
| Councillor | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Reynolds | Independent National | Mayor | |
| Stephen Johnston | Independent | Elected February 2025 on a countback following the resignation of Michelle Pryse Jones | |
| Karl Hutchings | Independent | ||
| John Newstead | Independent | ||
| Craig Gosewisch | Independent | ||
| Rebecca Scott | Independent | Deputy Mayor | |
| Iris Dorsett | Independent |
Election results
2024
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent National | Bruce Reynolds (elected) | 1,074 | 23.6 | +9.7 | |
| Independent | Michelle Pryse Jones (elected) | 629 | 13.8 | +0.6 | |
| Independent | Karl Hutchings (elected) | 622 | 13.7 | ||
| Independent | John Newstead (elected) | 556 | 12.2 | +3.1 | |
| Independent | Craig Gosewisch (elected) | 485 | 10.7 | −1.6 | |
| Independent | Rebecca Scott (elected) | 450 | 9.9 | ||
| Independent | Iris Dorsett (elected) | 394 | 8.7 | +1.2 | |
| Independent | Stephen Johnston | 264 | 5.8 | ||
| Independent | Angus Norton | 73 | 1.6 | ||
| Total formal votes | 4,547 | 94.1 | |||
| Informal votes | 284 | 5.9 | |||
| Turnout | 4,831 | 86.8 |
2021
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Scott Ferguson (elected) | 1,036 | 22.7 | ||
| Independent | Bruce Reynolds (elected) | 635 | 13.9 | ||
| Independent | Michelle Pryse Jones (elected) | 605 | 13.3 | ||
| Independent | Craig Gosewisch (elected) | 559 | 12.3 | ||
| Independent | Allan Ewin (elected) | 526 | 11.5 | ||
| Independent | David Somervaille (elected) | 443 | 9.7 | ||
| Independent | John Newstead (elected) | 416 | 9.1 | ||
| Independent | Iris Dorsett | 340 | 7.5 | ||
| Total formal votes | 4,560 | 95.3 | |||
| Informal votes | 224 | 4.7 | |||
| Turnout | 4,784 | 87.7 |
2017
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Scott Ferguson (elected) | 1,329 | 30.9 | +19.4 | |
| Independent | Allan Ewin (elected) | 605 | 14.1 | −3.9 | |
| Independent | David Kingham (elected) | 447 | 10.4 | −0.1 | |
| Country Labor | Scott Denton (elected) | 418 | 9.7 | +9.7 | |
| Independent | John Newstead (elected) | 416 | 9.1 | ||
| Independent | Bruce Reynolds (elected) | 393 | 9.1 | +9.1 | |
| Independent | David Somervaille (elected) | 311 | 7.2 | −0.1 | |
| Greens | 272 | 6.3 | +6.3 | ||
| Independent | Nyree Reynolds | 139 | 3.2 | +3.2 | |
| Total formal votes | 4,299 | 94.82 | |||
| Informal votes | 235 | 5.18 | |||
| Turnout | 4,784 | 85.73 |
Proposed amalgamation
A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the Blayney Shire merge with the Cabonne Shire and the City of Orange to form a new council with an area of 7,833 square kilometres (3,024 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 63,000. Despite originally planning for the amalgamation to go ahead, the merger scheduled for May 2016 was delayed due to legal action, and in February 2017 the NSW Government decided not to proceed with the amalgamation.
See also
External links
Media related to Blayney Shire at Wikimedia Commons