Clarence Valley Council

Local government area in New South Wales, Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clarence Valley Council is a local government area in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia.[6]

CountryAustralia
Established24 February 2004 (2004-02-24)
Council seatGrafton and Maclean
Quick facts Country, State ...
Clarence Valley
Location in New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Official logo of Clarence Valley
CountryAustralia
StateNew South Wales
RegionNorthern Rivers
Established24 February 2004 (2004-02-24)
Council seatGrafton and Maclean
Government
  MayorRay Smith[1]
  State electorate
  Federal division
Area
  Total
10,441 km2 (4,031 sq mi)
Population
  Totals53,665 (2021 census)[4]
54,115 (2021)[5]
  Density5.13983/km2 (13.3121/sq mi)
WebsiteClarence Valley
LGAs around Clarence Valley
Tenterfield Richmond Valley Tasman Sea
Glen Innes Severn Clarence Valley Tasman Sea
Armidale Bellingen Coffs Harbour
Close

The council services an area of 10,441 square kilometres (4,031 sq mi) and draws its name from the Clarence River, which flows through most of the council area. The area under management is adjacent to the Pacific Highway, the Gwydir Highway and the North Coast railway line. The Clarence Valley region includes the coastal plain and lower valleys of the Clarence and Nymboida river. Most of the valley is agricultural; however, the oceanside towns of Yamba and Iluka are popular holiday resorts.[7]

The council was formed in February 2004 by the merger of the City of Grafton and Maclean Shire, and parts of Copmanhurst, Pristine Waters and Richmond Valley local government areas, and the activities of North Coast Water and Clarence River County Council.[8]

The mayor of Clarence Valley Council is Ray Smith.[1] The Deputy Mayor is Greg Clancy.[9]

Towns and localities

Towns and localities in the Clarence Valley Council are:[6]

Heritage listings

The Clarence Valley Council has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 49,665 people in the Clarence Valley local government area, of these 49.4 per cent were male and 50.6 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5.7 per cent of the population which is more than double the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the Clarence Valley Council area was 46 years; some 10 years higher than the national median. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 18.6 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 21.3 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 49.3 per cen% were married and 14.6% were either divorced or separated.[11]

Population growth in the Clarence Valley Council area between the 2006 census and the 2011 Census was 3.15 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same period, being 8.32 per cent, population growth in the Clarence Valley local government area was lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Clarence Valley Council area was significantly below the national average,[11][12] being one of the factors that place the Clarence Valley Council area in an area of social disadvantage.

At the 2011 Census, the proportion of residents in the Clarence Valley local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Celtic exceeded 82 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 64 per cent of all residents in the Clarence Valley Council area nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 Census, which was above the national average of 50.2 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the Census date, compared to the national average, households in the Clarence Valley local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (3.1 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (94.0 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).[11]

More information Selected historical census data for Clarence Valley local government area, Census year ...
Selected historical census data for Clarence Valley local government area
Census year2006[12]2011[11]2016[13]
PopulationEstimated residents on census night48,14649,66550,671
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales46thIncrease 45th
% of New South Wales population0.72%Decrease 0.68%
% of Australian population0.24%Decrease 0.23%Decrease 0.22%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses
Australian34.6%Decrease 33.2%
English31.9%Decrease 31.4%
Irish9.0%Increase 9.1%
Scottish8.3%Increase 8.6%
German3.4%Steady 3.4%
Language,
top responses
(other than English)
German0.2%Steady 0.2%Steady 0.2%
Cantonese0.1%Steady 0.1%Steady 0.1%
Spanishn/cIncrease 0.1%Steady 0.1%
Mandarinn/cSteady n/cIncrease 0.1%
Dutch0.1%Increase 0.2%Decrease 0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses
No religion15.3%Increase 19.0%Increase 26.4%
Anglican32.0%Decrease 30.6%Decrease 25.7%
Catholic22.5%Decrease 22.1%Decrease 20.0%
Not statedn/cSteady n/cIncrease 10.4%
Presbyterian and Reformed7.4%Decrease 6.7%Decrease 6.0%
Median weekly incomes
Personal incomeMedian weekly personal incomeA$333A$396A$477
% of Australian median income71.5%Decrease 68.6%Increase 72.1%
Family incomeMedian weekly family incomeA$631A$924A$1133
% of Australian median income61.4%Increase 62.4%Increase 65.3%
Household incomeMedian weekly household incomeA$781A$768A$910
% of Australian median income66.7%Decrease 62.2%Increase 63.3%
Close

Council

Current composition and election method

Clarence Valley Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as one entire 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:[14]

More information Party, Councillors ...
PartyCouncillors
  Independents 6
  Independent National 2
  Greens 1
Total 9
Close

The current Council, elected in 2024, in order of election, is:[15]

More information Councillor, Party ...
CouncillorPartyNotes
  Cristie Yager Independent Councillor
  Peter Johnstone Independent National Councillor
  Greg Clancy Greens Deputy Mayor
  Ray Smith Independent Mayor
  Alison Whaites Independent National Councillor
  Shane Causley Independent Councillor
  Lynne Cairns Independent Councillor
  Debrah Novak Independent Councillor
  Karen Toms Independent Councillor
Close

Election results

2024

More information Party, Candidate ...
2024 New South Wales local elections: Clarence Valley[16][17][18][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Cristie Yager (elected) 4,773 15.0
Independent National Peter Johnstone (elected) 3,832 12.0 +4.8
Greens Greg Clancy (elected) 2,998 9.4 +0.9
Independent Ray Smith (elected) 2,486 7.8
Independent Shane Causley (elected) 2,432 7.6
Independent National Allison Whaites (elected) 2,318 7.3 −0.5
Independent Lynne Cairns (elected) 2,057 6.5
Independent Debrah Novak (elected) 1,893 6.0 −5.8
Independent Amanda Brien 1,556 4.9
Independent Karen Toms (elected) 1,435 4.5 −0.9
Independent Andrew Baker 1,173 3.7
Independent Steve Pickering 1,144 3.6 −1.4
Independent Melissa Hellwig 1,043 3.3
Independent James Allan 904 2.8
Independent Des Schroder 833 2.6
Independent Justin James 723 2.3
Independent Phillip Provest 234 0.7
Total formal votes 31,834 90.8 −2.1
Informal votes 3,227 9.2 +2.1
Turnout 35,061 83.7 −2.0
Close

2021

More information Party, Candidate ...
2021 New South Wales local elections: Clarence Valley[20]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Jeff Smith (elected) 6,022 19.6
Independent Debrah Novak (elected) 3,622 11.8
Independent Ian Tiley (elected) 2,637 8.6
Independent National Allison Whaites (elected) 2,403 7.8
Independent Bill Day (elected) 2,039 6.7
Greens Greg Clancy (elected) 2,592 8.5
Independent National Peter Johnstone (elected) 2,212 7.2
Independent Karen Toms (elected) 1,658 5.4
Independent Steve Pickering (elected) 1,536 5.0
Independent Labor Peter Ellem 1,494 4.9
Independent Ash Gibbons 1,189 3.9
Independent Pete Hanson 1,189 3.9
Independent National Donald Scott 702 2.3
Independent Phil Belletty 661 2.2
Independent Jeffrey Fuller 357 1.2
Independent Warren Lang 348 1.1
Total formal votes 30,661 92.9
Informal votes 2,358 7.1
Turnout 85.7
Party total votes
Independent 23,850 77.8
Independent National 5,317 17.3
Independent Labor 1,494 4.9
Party total seats Seats ±
Independent 7 Steady
Independent National 2 Increase 1
Independent Labor 0 Decrease 1
Close

See also

References

Related Articles

Wikiwand AI