Bathurst Regional Council
Local government area in New South Wales, Australia
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Bathurst Regional Council is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located adjacent to the Great Western Highway, Mid-Western Highway, Mitchell Highway and the Main Western railway line. At the 2021 census, the Bathurst Region had a population of 43,567.[3]
Bathurst Regional Council | |||||||||||||
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Bathurst Civic Centre Location in New South Wales | |||||||||||||
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| Coordinates: 33°25′S 149°34′E | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | New South Wales | ||||||||||||
| Region | Central West | ||||||||||||
| Established | 26 May 2004 | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Bathurst | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • Mayor | Robert 'Stumpy' Taylor | ||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 3,820 km2 (1,470 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Totals | 43,567 (LGA 2021)[1] 43,206 (2018 est.)[2] | ||||||||||||
| Website | Bathurst Regional Council | ||||||||||||
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The administrative centre of the area is located in the city of Bathurst, approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) west of Sydney.
The mayor of Bathurst is Cr. Robert 'Stumpy' Taylor, Deputy Mayor being Cr. Benjamin Fry, both unaligned politicians.
City, towns and localities
In addition to the city of Bathurst, the LGA contains the villages of Eglinton, Freemantle, Perthville, Rockley, Raglan, Georges Plains, Trunkey Creek, Brewongle, Vittoria, Peel, Wattle Flat, Sofala, Hill End, Meadow Flat, Sallys Flat, Caloola and Kelso
Demographics
| Selected historical census data for Bathurst Regional local government area | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 2011[4] | 2016[3] | 2021[5] | |||
| Population | Estimated residents on census night | 38,519 |  41,300 | 43,567 | ||
| LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | 52nd | 51st | ||||
| % of New South Wales population | 0.56% |  0.55% | 0.53% | |||
| % of Australian population | 0.18% |  0.18% | 0.17% | |||
| Estimated ATSI population on census night | 1,634 | 2,244 | 3,153 | |||
| % of ATSI population to residents | 4.20% | 5.40% | 7.2% | |||
| Cultural and language diversity | ||||||
| Ancestry, top responses | Australian | 32.9% | 31.5% | 42.1% | ||
| English | 30.1% | 29.5% | 40.9% | |||
| Irish | 10.9% | 11.1% | 14.3% | |||
| Scottish | 7.3% | 7.5% | 10.6% | |||
| German | 2.6% | 2.6% | – | |||
| Australian Aboriginal | – | – | 6.4% | |||
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Mandarin | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.2% | ||
| Arabic | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | |||
| Cantonese | 0.2% | 0.2% | – | |||
| Punjabi | n/a | 0.2% | 0.4% | |||
| German | 0.2% | 0.2% | – | |||
| Nepali | – | – | 0.4% | |||
| Tagalog | – | – | 0.3% | |||
| Religious affiliation | ||||||
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 34.1% | 31.1% | 28.4% | ||
| No religion, so described | 16.0% | 22.4% | 32.4% | |||
| Anglican | 23.2% | 19.1% | 15.7% | |||
| Not stated | n/a | 11.3% | 8.0% | |||
| Presbyterian and Reformed | 4.6% | 4.2% | 3.4% | |||
| Median weekly incomes | ||||||
| Personal income | Median weekly personal income | $544 | $646 | $796 | ||
| % of Australian median income | 94.28% | 97.58% | 98.88% | |||
| Family income | Median weekly family income | $1,437 | $1,632 | $2,026 | ||
| % of Australian median income | 97.02% | 94.11% | 95.56% | |||
| Household income | Median weekly household income | $1,142 | $1,310 | $1,585 | ||
| % of Australian median income | 93% | 92.54% | 90.77% | |||
Council
Current composition and election method
Bathurst Regional Council is composed of nine 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 of councillors was held on 14 September 2024, and the makeup of the council is as follows:
Council elected in 2024
The current Council, elected in 2024, is: [6]
| Councillor | Party / Ticket | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert 'Stumpy' Taylor | Team Back Bathurst | Mayor (2022-2023) (2024-Present) | |
| Ben Fry | Balanced Bathurst | Deputy Mayor (2021-Present) | |
| Warren Aubin | Bathurst United | ||
| Natalie Cranston | Figuring It Out | ||
| Tony Gullifer | Independent | ||
| Nick Packham | Better Bathurst | Elected via count‑back 26 Nov 2024 [7] | |
| Jaclyn Underwood | Balanced Bathurst | ||
| Elaine West | The Greens NSW | ||
| Sophie Wright | Figuring It Out - One Nation | ||
Election results
2024
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Figuring It Out | 1. Sophie Wright (elected 1) 2. Natalie Cranston (elected 4) 3. Anne Balcomb 4. Jeffery Muir 5. Rowan Bracken 6. Gavin Press 7. Fiona Carlisle |
7,520 | 29.7 | ||
| Balanced Bathurst | 1. Ben Fry (elected 2) 2. Jaclyn Underwood (elected 7) 3. Beau Yates 4. Jasmyn Nankervis 5. Kirralee Burke |
4,565 | 18.0 | −2.0 | |
| Better Bathurst | 1. Jess Jennings (elected 3, resigned 2024)[8] 2. Nick Packham (replaced Jennings on council)[9] 3. Sharon Sewell 4. Shona Kennedy 5. Angus Thompson |
2,972 | 11.7 | +3.4 | |
| Team Back Bathurst | 1. Robert (Stumpy) Taylor (elected 6) 2. Timothy Fagan 3. Kelly Richardson 4. James Connors 5. Rebecca Mathie |
1,866 | 7.4 | −10.1 | |
| Independent | Tony Gullifer (elected 5) | 1,844 | 7.3 | ||
| Greens | 1. Elaine West (elected 9) 2. Elizabeth Barrett 3. Cath Jackson 4. Steph Luke 5. Julie Kramer |
1,455 | 5.8 | ||
| Bathurst United | 1. Warren Aubin (elected 8) 2. Lachlan Host 3. Andrew Sherlock 4. Teodora Todorova 5. Warren McCaull |
1,292 | 5.1 | +0.5 | |
| Responsible Financial Management | 1. Geoff Fry 2. Juanita Kwok 3. Margaret Hargans 4. Michael McCormick 5. Rob Quinn |
877 | 3.5 | +1.9 | |
| Commitment To Our Community | 1. Graeme Hanger 2. Luisa Simeonidis |
669 | 2.6 | −4.4 | |
| Bathurst Matters | 1. Stuart Pearson 2. Ingrid Pearson 3. Pauline Graf 4. Irene Hancock 5. Timothy Herbert |
616 | 2.4 | −0.8 | |
| Independent | Ian North | 547 | 2.2 | −7.8 | |
| Independent | Liam O'Hara | 534 | 2.1 | ||
| Together We Can Fix This | 1. Stuart Driver 2. Larry Lewis |
306 | 1.2 | 0.0 | |
| Independent | Marilyn Osborne | 168 | 0.7 | ||
| Independent | Gordon Crisp | 78 | 0.3 | ||
| Total formal votes | 25,309 | 91.8 | −0.9 | ||
| Informal votes | 2,255 | 8.2 | +0.9 | ||
| Turnout | 27,564 | 87.1 | +0.8 | ||
2021
| Elected councillor | Party | |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Fry | Balanced Bathurst | |
| Kirralee Burke | Balanced Bathurst | |
| Ian North | TEAM NORTH | |
| Marg Hogan | Marg Hogan Team | |
| Graeme Hanger | Team Hanger | |
| Jess Jennings | Better Bathurst | |
| Robert 'Stumpy' Taylor | Back Bathurst | |
| Andrew 'Struthy' Smith | Back Bathurst | |
| Warren Aubin | Bathurst First | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced Bathurst | 4,943 | 20.0 | |||
| Back Bathurst | 4,334 | 17.5 | |||
| TEAM NORTH | 2,475 | 10.0 | |||
| Marg Hogan Team | 2,119 | 8.6 | |||
| Better Bathurst | 2,057 | 8.3 | |||
| Team Hanger – Working Together for Bathurst | 1,737 | 7.0 | |||
| The Restore Bathurst Team | 1,458 | 5.9 | |||
| Nick Packham for Bathurst | 1,244 | 5.0 | |||
| Bathurst First | 1,125 | 4.6 | |||
| Bathurst Matters | 792 | 3.2 | |||
| Independent | Alex Christian | 733 | 3.0 | ||
| TEAM BOURKE | Bobby Bourke | 456 | 1.8 | ||
| Independent (Group J) | 393 | 1.6 | |||
| Independent | Stuart Driver | 292 | 1.2 | ||
| Team Singleton | 214 | 0.9 | |||
| Independent | Catherine Strods | 129 | 0.5 | ||
| Independent | Steve Semmens | 105 | 0.4 | ||
| TEAM BOURKE | Jeff Muir | 42 | 0.2 | ||
| TEAM BOURKE | Steve Ellery | 25 | 0.1 | ||
| TEAM BOURKE | Ken Hope | 21 | 0.1 | ||
| TEAM BOURKE | Michael Forde | 10 | 0.0 | ||
| Total formal votes | 24,704 | 92.7 | |||
| Informal votes | 1,939 | 7.3 | |||
| Turnout | 86.3 | ||||
2017
| Elected councillor | Party | |
|---|---|---|
| Bobby Bourke | TEAM BOURKE | |
| Jacqui Rudge | TEAM BOURKE | |
| Ian North | TEAM NORTH | |
| Warren Aubin | Bathurst First | |
| Alex Christian | Ind. SFF | |
| Graeme Hanger | Independent (Group G) | |
| Jess Jennings | Independent (Group C) | |
| John Fry | Greens | |
| Monica Morse | Independent (Group B) | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BOURKE | 4,745 | 20.4 | |||
| Independent (Group G) | 4,634 | 19.9 | |||
| Bathurst First | 2,571 | 11.1 | |||
| Independent SFF | Alex Christian | 2,190 | 9.4 | ||
| TEAM NORTH | 2,093 | 9.0 | |||
| Independent (Group C) | 2,118 | 9.1 | |||
| Independent (Group B) | 1,945 | 8.4 | |||
| Greens | 1,617 | 7.0 | |||
| Independent Labor | Nick Packham | 926 | 4.0 | ||
| Independent (Group F) | 421 | 1.8 | |||
| Total formal votes | 23,260 | 93.55 | |||
| Informal votes | 1,605 | 6.45 | |||
| Turnout | 24,865 | 84.86 | |||
History
Bathurst was proclaimed a city in 1885.[12] The Bathurst Region was created on 26 May 2004 as a result of a merger of Bathurst City and Evans Shire.
A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the Bathurst Region merge with the Oberon Shire to form a new council with an area of 7,443 square kilometres (2,874 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 47,000.[13] The outcome of an independent review was expected to be completed by mid–2016. Bathurst Regional Council was officially notified on 6 March 2017 by the NSW State Government that the proposed merger between Bathurst Regional Council and Oberon Council will not proceed. The letter from the Minister for Local Government Gabrielle Upton advising Council of the decision can be viewed on the Bathurst Regional Council official website.
Sister cities
Bathurst has had a sister city relationship with Ohkuma (Japan) since March 1991.The relationship provides an opportunity for both Bathurst and Ohkuma residents to learn about each other's culture and language. As part of the relationship Council coordinates the Sister City Working Party. This group is made up of different community members who have an interest in Japan and further developing the strong relationship that already exists between Bathurst and Ohkuma. Bathurst has sister city relations with the following city:[14]
Ōkuma, Japan, since 1991
