The Armidale Region is a local government area in the New England and Northern Tablelands regions of New South Wales, Australia. This area was formed in 2016 from the merger of the Armidale Dumaresq Shire with the surrounding Guyra Shire.[2]
| Armidale Region New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location in New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 30°30′S 151°40′E / 30.500°S 151.667°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 30,707 (2018)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 3.56188/km2 (9.2252/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 2016 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 8,621 km2 (3,328.6 sq mi)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Mayor | Sam Coupland (Independent) | ||||||||||||||
| Council seat | Armidale | ||||||||||||||
| Region | New England | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Northern Tablelands | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | New England | ||||||||||||||
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| Website | Armidale Region | ||||||||||||||
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The combined area covered the urban area of Armidale and the surrounding region, extending primarily eastward from the city through farming districts to the gorges and escarpments that mark the edge of the Northern Tablelands.
The Armidale Region is administered by the Armidale Regional Council.
The mayor of the Armidale Region is Cr. Sam Coupland, an independent politician.
History
On 1 July 2019, Tingha was transferred from Armidale Region to Inverell Shire.[3][4]
Towns, villages and other locations
In addition to the main centre of Armidale and the town of Guyra, the villages located in the area include Ben Lomond, Black Mountain, Dangarsleigh, Ebor, Hillgrove, Kellys Plains, Llangothlin, and Wollomombi.
Oban is a rural location covering 72.607 km2 (28.034 sq mi) within the Armidale Regional LGA, with 7 residents.[5]
Heritage listings
The Armidale Region has a number of heritage-listed sites, including the following sites in Armidale:
- 158 Beardy Street: Armidale Post Office[6]
- 164 Beardy Street: Commercial Bank of Australia Building[7]
- 216 Brown Street: Armidale railway station turntable[8]
- 234 Brown Street: Armidale railway station[9]
- 125 Dangar Street: Central Park, Armidale[10]
- 132 Dangar Street: Saints Mary and Joseph Catholic Cathedral[11]
- 108 Faulkner Street: Lands Board Office[12]
- 60 Madgwick Drive: Booloominbah[13]
- 122-132 Mossman Street: Old Teachers' College[14]
- 36 Roseneath Lane: Roseneath[15]
- 122 Rusden Street: St Peter's Cathedral[16]
- 230 Saumarez Road: Saumarez Homestead[17]
- High Conservation Value Old Growth forest[18]
Demographics
| Selected historical census data for the Armidale Region | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 2016[19] | |||||
| Population | Estimated residents on census night | 29,449 | ||||
| LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | 60th | |||||
| % of New South Wales population | 0.39% | |||||
| % of Australian population | 0.13% | |||||
| Cultural and language diversity | ||||||
| Ancestry, top responses | Australian | 30.4% | ||||
| English | 28.8% | |||||
| Irish | 9.8% | |||||
| Scottish | 8.4% | |||||
| German | 3.4% | |||||
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Mandarin | 1.1% | ||||
| Arabic | 1.0% | |||||
| Nepali | 0.5% | |||||
| German | 0.4% | |||||
| French | 0.2% | |||||
| Religious affiliation | ||||||
| Religious affiliation, top responses | No religion | 27.4% | ||||
| Anglican | 22.8% | |||||
| Catholic | 20.2% | |||||
| Presbyterian | 4.5% | |||||
| Median weekly incomes | ||||||
| Personal income | Median weekly personal income | A$561 | ||||
| % of Australian median income | 84.7% | |||||
| Family income | Median weekly family income | A$1465 | ||||
| % of Australian median income | 84.5% | |||||
| Household income | Median weekly household income | A$1173 | ||||
| % of Australian median income | 81.6% | |||||
Council
Armidale Regional Council is composed of eleven 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 makeup of the council is as follows:[20]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Independents and Unaligned | 8 | |
| The Greens | 1 | |
| Country Labor Party | 2 | |
| Total | 11 | |
The current council, in order of election, is:[20]
| Councillor | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret O'Connor | Independent Liberal | ||
| Dorothy Robinson | Greens | ||
| Debra O'Brien | Country Labor | ||
| Sam Coupland | Independent | Mayor[21] | |
| Jon Galletly | Independent | ||
| Steven Mepham | Independent | ||
| Todd Redwood | Independent | Deputy Mayor[21] | |
| Susan McMichael | Country Labor | ||
| Paul Gaddes | Independent | ||
| Bradley Widders | Unaligned | ||
| Paul Packham | Independent | ||
Election results
2021
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | 1. Debra O'Brien (elected) 2. Susan McMichael (elected) 3. Caroline Chapman 4. Yvonne Langenberg 5. April Youngberry 6. Margaret Finley | 2,352 | 15.5 | +4.5 | |
| Team Margaret and Gordon | 1. Margaret O'Connor (Ind. Lib) (elected) 2. Gordon Cope 3. Bruce Newberry 4. Janet Edmonds 5. Ju Denton 6. Trevor Esplin | 2,196 | 14.4 | +3.1 | |
| Independent | Sam Coupland (elected) | 1,897 | 12.5 | ||
| Greens | 1. Dorothy Robinson (elected) 2. Elizabeth O'Hara 3. Gaynor McGrath 4. Richard Sheridan 5. Pat Schultz 6. Dora Koops | 1,664 | 10.9 | +3.4 | |
| Independent | Jon Galletly (elected) | 1,139 | 7.5 | ||
| Independent | Steven Mepham (elected) | 930 | 6.1 | ||
| Independent | Todd Redwood (elected) | 852 | 5.6 | ||
| Independent | Paul Packham (elected) | 728 | 4.8 | ||
| Independent | Bradley Widders (elected) | 627 | 4.1 | ||
| Independent | Paul Gaddes (elected) | 621 | 4.1 | ||
| Independent | Richard Robinson | 598 | 3.9 | ||
| Independent | Callan Schaefer | 466 | 3.1 | ||
| Independent | Kathleen Clare | 416 | 2.7 | ||
| Independent | Peter Bailey | 239 | 1.6 | ||
| Independent | Margaret Sims | 224 | 1.5 | ||
| Independent | Phillip Blackmore | 158 | 1.0 | ||
| Independent | Craig Pevitt | 116 | 0.8 | ||
| Total formal votes | 28,374 | 94.2 | |||
| Informal votes | 1,745 | 5.8 | |||
| Turnout | 80.0 | ||||
| Party total seats | Seats | ± | |||
| Independent | 7 |  1 | |||
| Labor | 2 |  1 | |||
| Independent Liberal | 1 |  | |||
| Greens | 1 | | |||
2017
| Elected councillor | Party | |
|---|---|---|
| Ian Tiley | Independent | |
| Debra O'Brien | Labor | |
| Margaret O'Connor | Ind. Liberal | |
| Dorothy Robinson | Greens | |
| Simon Murray | Independent | |
| Jon Galletly | Independent | |
| Libby Martin | Independent | |
| Diane Gray | Independent | |
| Andrew Murat | Independent | |
| Bradley Widders | Independent | |
| Paul Gaddes | Independent | |
The Liberal Party did not endorse any candidates, including its councillor elected to Armidale Dumaresq Shire in 2012.[24]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Ian Tiley | 1,726 | 11.2 | ||
| Labor | 1,706 | 11.0 | +11.0 | ||
| Independent Liberal | 1,588 | 10.3 | |||
| Independent | Simon Murray | 1,502 | 9.7 | ||
| Independent | Jon Galletly | 1,405 | 9.1 | ||
| Greens | 1,163 | 7.5 | −5.7 | ||
| New England Futures Group | 675 | 4.4 | +4.4 | ||
| Independent | Libby Martin | 665 | 4.3 | ||
| Independent | Diane Gray | 481 | 3.1 | ||
| Independent | Bradley Widders | 476 | 3.1 | ||
| Independent | Jim Maher | 445 | 2.9 | ||
| Independent | Andrew Murat | 432 | 2.8 | ||
| Independent | Peter Bailey | 415 | 2.7 | ||
| Independent | Kevin Dupe | 368 | 2.4 | ||
| Independent Liberal | Aileen MacDonald | 296 | 1.9 | ||
| Independent | Maria Hitchcock | 241 | 1.6 | ||
| Independent | Michelle Wheatley | 234 | 1.5 | ||
| Independent | Les Davis | 205 | 1.3 | ||
| Independent | Gordon Cope | 202 | 1.3 | ||
| Independent | Joshua Fittler | 179 | 1.2 | ||
| Independent | Jack Hobbs | 167 | 1.1 | ||
| Independent | Herman Beyersdorf | 161 | 1.0 | ||
| Independent | Colin Gadd | 158 | 1.0 | ||
| Independent | Jack Rapely | 137 | 0.9 | ||
| Independent | Martha Saw | 108 | 0.7 | ||
| Independent | Trev Smith | 102 | 0.7 | ||
| Independent | Tom Walsh | 99 | 0.6 | ||
| Independent | Aziz Winrow | 65 | 0.4 | ||
| Independent | Dale Curtis | 59 | 0.4 | ||
| Total formal votes | 15,460 | 94.09 | |||
| Informal votes | 971 | 5.91 | |||
| Turnout | 16,431 | 80.64 | |||
| Party total votes | |||||
| Independent | 10,032 | 64.9 | |||
| Independent Liberal | 1,884 | 12.2 | |||
| Labor | 1,706 | 11.0 | +11.0 | ||
| Greens | 1,163 | 7.5 | −5.7 | ||
| New England Futures Group | 675 | 4.4 | +4.4 | ||
See also
References
External links
Media related to Armidale Regional Council at Wikimedia Commons