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.

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. Dr Jess Jennings, 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	2016	2021
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 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the council is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Independents	9
Total	9

The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election, is:

Councillor		Party	Notes
	Ben Fry	Balanced Bathurst	Deputy Mayor
	Robert 'Stumpy' Taylor	Back Bathurst	Mayor 2022-2023
	Ian North	Independent	Mayor 2021-2021
	Marg Hogan	Marg Hogan Team
	Kirralee Burke	Balanced Bathurst
	Graeme Hanger OAM	Team Hanger	Mayor 2017-2019
	Jess Jennings	Better Bathurst	Mayor - 2023-Current
	Andrew (Struthy) Smith	Back Bathurst
	Warren Aubin	Team Aubin

Election results

2021

2017

History

Bathurst was proclaimed a city in 1885. 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. 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:

• Ōkuma, Japan, since 1991