Berrigan Shire
Local government area in New South Wales, Australia
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Berrigan Shire is a local government area in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire lies on the New South Wales State border with Victoria formed by the Murray River. The Shire is adjacent to the Newell and Riverina Highways. The Shire is a mainly agricultural region, with dairying, cattle raising, woolgrowing and cropping the main activities. The vast majority of the Shire is irrigated. Tourism is another major activity, concentrated on the river towns of Tocumwal and Barooga.
Berrigan Shire | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Berrigan Shire Office, Chanter Street, Berrigan. Location in New South Wales | |||||||||||||
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| Coordinates: 35°38′S 145°48′E | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | New South Wales | ||||||||||||
| Region | Riverina | ||||||||||||
| Established | 1906 | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Berrigan | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • Mayor | Julia Cornwell-McKean (Unaligned) | ||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 2,066 km2 (798 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Totals | 8,665 (2021 census)[1] 8,707 (2018 est.)[2] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 4.1941/km2 (10.863/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Website | Berrigan Shire | ||||||||||||
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The mayor of Berrigan Shire is Julia Cornwell-McKean, an unaligned politician.
Towns and localities
Demographics
| Selected historical census data for Berrigan Shire local government area | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 2011[3] | 2016[1] | ||||
| Population | Estimated residents on census night | 8,066 |  8,462 | |||
| LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | 97th | |||||
| % of New South Wales population | ||||||
| % of Australian population | ||||||
| Cultural and language diversity | ||||||
| Ancestry, top responses | English | |||||
| Australian | ||||||
| Italian | ||||||
| Chinese | ||||||
| Irish | ||||||
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Italian | |||||
| Mandarin | ||||||
| Cantonese | ||||||
| Korean | ||||||
| Greek | ||||||
| Religious affiliation | ||||||
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | |||||
| No religion | ||||||
| Anglican | ||||||
| Eastern Orthodox | ||||||
| Buddhism | ||||||
| Median weekly incomes | ||||||
| Personal income | Median weekly personal income | A$ | ||||
| % of Australian median income | ||||||
| Family income | Median weekly family income | |||||
| % of Australian median income | ||||||
| Household income | Median weekly household income | |||||
| % of Australian median income | ||||||
Proposed amalgamation
A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the Berrigan Council merge with parts of the Jerilderie Shire to form a new council with an area of 4,022 square kilometres (1,553 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 10,000.[4] The Jerilderie Shire Council submitted an alternate proposal to the Minister for Local Government that the entire Jerilderie Shire amalgamate with the Murrumbidgee Shire.[5]
The NSW Government decided in May 2016 not to proceed with the proposed amalgamation.[citation needed]
Council
Current composition and election method
Berrigan Shire Council is composed of eight 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:[6]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Independents and Unaligned | 7 | |
| Total | 7 | |
The current Council, elected in 2024, is:[6]
| Councillor | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renee Brooker | Unaligned | ||
| Julia Cornwell-McKean | Unaligned | ||
| Matthew Hannan | Unaligned | ||
| Catherine Healy | Unaligned | ||
| Katie Ngatokoa | Independent | ||
| Renee Paine | Independent | ||
| John Stringer | Independent | ||
| Vacant | |||
Election results
2024
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Matthew Hannan (elected) | unopposed | |||
| Independent | Catherine Healy (elected) | unopposed | |||
| Independent | Julia Cornwell McKean (elected) | unopposed | |||
| Independent | Renee Brooker (elected) | unopposed | |||
| Independent | Renee Paine (elected) | unopposed | |||
| Independent | John Stringer (elected) | unopposed | |||
| Independent | Katie Ngatokoa (elected) | unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | |||||
A by-election will be held to fill the remaining eighth seat, with only several candidates nominating for the election.[8][9]
2021
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Matthew Hannan (elected) | 833 | 17.6 | ||
| Independent | Carly Marriott (elected) | 654 | 13.9 | ||
| Independent | Sarah McNaught (elected) | 610 | 12.9 | ||
| Independent | Edward (Ted) Hatty (elected) | 488 | 10.3 | ||
| Independent | John Taylor (elected) | 347 | 7.4 | ||
| Independent | Roger Reynoldson (elected) | 313 | 6.6 | ||
| Independent | Julia Cornwell McKean (elected) | 302 | 6.4 | ||
| Independent | Renee Paine (elected) | 271 | 5.7 | ||
| Independent | Marcus Fry | 195 | 4.1 | ||
| Independent | Mandy Bonat | 185 | 3.9 | ||
| Independent | Clare Allan | 182 | 3.9 | ||
| Independent | Daryll Morris | 172 | 3.6 | ||
| Independent | Ross Bodey | 168 | 3.6 | ||
| Total formal votes | 4,720 | 95.0 | |||
| Informal votes | 249 | 5.0 | |||
| Turnout | 4,969 | 80.5 | |||
2012
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | 1. Colin Jones (elected) 2. Denis Glanville (elected) |
937 | 22.6 | ||
| Independent | John Bruce (elected) | 828 | 20.0 | −1.6 | |
| Independent | Matt Hannan (elected) | 479 | 11.6 | +1.3 | |
| Independent | Andrea O'Neill (elected) | 421 | 10.2 | +10.2 | |
| Independent | Daryll Morris (elected) | 383 | 9.2 | +9.2 | |
| Independent | Brian Hill (elected) | 355 | 8.6 | +1.2 | |
| Independent | Bernard Curtin (elected) | 351 | 8.5 | +0.7 | |
| Independent | Gary Mexted | 252 | 6.1 | +6.1 | |
| Independent | Liz McLaurin | 135 | 3.3 | −1.8 | |
| Turnout | 79.4 | ||||
