Wentworth Shire
Local government area in New South Wales, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wentworth Shire is a local government area in the far south-west Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. This Shire is located adjacent to the Murray and Darling Rivers. The Shire's major roads are the Sturt and the Silver City Highways. The Shire includes the towns of Wentworth, Buronga, Gol Gol, Dareton and Pooncarie. The shire's namesake is explorer and politician William Wentworth.[3]
Wentworth Shire | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location in New South Wales | |||||||||||||
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| Coordinates: 34°05′S 141°54′E | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | New South Wales | ||||||||||||
| Region | Far West | ||||||||||||
| Established | 23 January 1879[1] | ||||||||||||
| Council seat | Wentworth | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • Mayor | Daniel Linklater (Independent) | ||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 26,269 km2 (10,143 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 7,453 (LGA 2021)[2] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 0.26/km2 (0.67/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Website | Wentworth Shire | ||||||||||||
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The mayor of Wentworth Shire Council is Daniel Linklater, an Independent politician.
Heritage listings
Wentworth Shire has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Darling River, Polia Station, Pooncarie: PS Rodney[4]
- Wentworth, 112 Beverley Street: Wentworth Gaol[5]
- Wentworth, 30 Caddell Street: St Ignatius School[6]
- Wentworth, Darling Street: St John's Anglican Church, Wentworth[7]
- Wentworth, 1122a Low Darling Road: Avoca Homestead Complex[8]
Council
The area of Wentworth was proclaimed a municipality on 23 January 1879.[1] The first Mayor was Mr. W. Gunn who held office from 1879 to 1880.[9]
Current composition and election method
Wentworth Shire 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 was held on 4 December 2021 and the current makeup of the council is as follows:[10]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Independents | 6 | |
| Independent National | 2 | |
| Vacant | 1 | |
| Total | 9 | |
One seat is vacant following the death of councillor Stephen Heywood on 7 February 2024.[11]
The current council, elected in 2021, in order of election, is:[10]
| Councillor | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Crisp | Independent National | ||
| Steve Cooper | Independent | ||
| Tim Elstone | Independent | ||
| Daniel Linklater | Independent National | Mayor 2023–[12] | |
| Susan Nichols | Independent | Deputy Mayor 2023–[12] | |
| Greg Evans | Independent | ||
| Brian Beaumont | Independent | ||
| Jo Rodda | Independent | ||
Election results
2024
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent National | Daniel Linklater (elected) | 1,496 | 44.9 | +19.8 | |
| Independent National | Peter Crisp (elected) | 416 | 12.5 | −2.4 | |
| Independent | Tim Elstone (elected) | 384 | 11.5 | −0.3 | |
| Independent | Jo Rodda (elected) | 170 | 5.1 | +1.0 | |
| Independent | Susan Nichols (elected) | 151 | 4.5 | −1.4 | |
| Independent | Michael Weeding (elected) | 130 | 3.9 | ||
| Independent | Brian Beaumont | 114 | 3.4 | −1.9 | |
| Independent National | Bill Wheeldon | 111 | 3.3 | −1.0 | |
| Independent National | Jon Armstrong (elected) | 105 | 3.2 | ||
| Independent | Greg Evans (elected) | 103 | 3.1 | −0.7 | |
| Independent | Jody Starick (elected) | 78 | 2.3 | ||
| Independent | Ivan Behsmann | 76 | 2.3 | ||
| Total formal votes | 3,334 | 96.3 | |||
| Informal votes | 127 | 3.7 | |||
| Turnout | 3,461 | 73.7 | |||
