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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Wollondilly Shire
Wollondilly Shire is a periurban local government area, located on the south west fringe of the Greater Sydney area in New South Wales, Australia, parts of which fall into the Macarthur, Blue Mountains and Central Tablelands regions in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wollondilly is seen as the transition between Regional NSW and the Greater Sydney Region, and is variously categorised as part of both. Wollondilly Shire was created by proclamation in the NSW Government Gazette on 7 March 1906, following the passing of the Local Government (Shires) Act 1905, and amalgamated with the Municipality of Picton on 1 May 1940.

Wollondilly Shire is named after the Wollondilly River. The area is traversed by the Hume Highway and the Southern Highlands railway line. Wollondilly Shire contains several small towns and villages broken up by farms and sandstone gorges. To its west is wilderness and includes the Nattai Wilderness and the Burragorang Valley. The majority of the Shire is either national park or forms part of the water catchment for Sydney's water supply. The Shire provides 97% of Sydney's water supply.

The Mayor of Wollondilly Shire is Cr. Matt Gould, an independent politician.

Towns, villages and localities in the local government area

Towns, villages and localities in the Wollondilly Shire are:

Council history

Wollondilly Shire was constituted by proclamation in the NSW Government Gazette on 7 March 1906, following the passing of the Local Government (Shires) Act 1905 (Shire No. 122 of 134), and included a wide area bounded by the local government areas of Camden, Campbelltown and Picton and Nepean Shire. A temporary council of five members was appointed on 16 May 1906, which comprised: Richard Henry Antill of Jarvisfield, Picton, Thomas Donohue of Burragorang, George Frederick Litchfield of Yerranderie, George Macarthur-Onslow of Camden Park, Menangle, and John Simpson of Macquarie Dale, Appin. The council first met on 15 June 1906, electing Macarthur-Onslow as Chairman of the Temporary Council and C. A. Thompson as secretary and shire clerk. A. P. Minton, was later appointed Shire Clerk in June 1907.

The first elections for the council were held on 24 November 1906 for six councillors in three ridings of two councillors each: A Riding, B Riding and C Riding:

Riding Councillor Notes
A Riding John Edward Moore Shire President 1907–1908
Alfred Leonard Bennett Shire President 1909–1910
B Riding James Oswald Moore Shire President 1908–1909
George Frederick Litchfield Temporary Councillor
C Riding John Simpson Temporary Councillor
George Macarthur-Onslow Chairman 1906, Shire President 1906–1907

The final meeting of the Temporary Council and the first meeting of the elected Council was held on 3 December 1906 at The Oaks, at which the chairman of the Temporary Council, George Macarthur-Onslow was elected at the first Shire President of Wollondilly. However, on 11 January 1907, Macarthur-Onslow resigned as president, citing the distance between the shire offices and his home at Camden Park, and John E. Moore was elected Shire President in his place. On 13 February 1908, James O. Moore was elected as Shire President, and re-elected to a second term in February 1909. Following the resignation of James O. Moore in June 1909, Alfred Leonard Bennett was elected Shire President of the on 8 June 1909.

On 31 May 1911 part of the Blue Mountains Shire was transferred to the Wollondilly Shire and part of Wollondilly Shire was transferred to the Nepean Shire from 21 March 1940.

Amalgamation with Picton

When created in 1906, Wollondilly did not include the township of Picton, which had already been incorporated as the Borough of Picton on 15 March 1895. The Borough of Picton became the Municipality of Picton on 31 December 1906 with the passing of the Local Government Extension Act, 1906.

The Picton Municipal Council held a voluntary poll on 1 April 1939, at the request of residents, on the question of the union of the Picton Municipality and the Wollondilly Shire. The poll was resolved in the affirmative, with 197 for and 178 against. The proposal for a "Picton Shire" was subsequently gazetted on 25 August 1939 and on 20 November 1939 the Department of Works and Local Government held an inquiry in Picton on the various issues relating to amalgamation.

From 1 May 1940 the Municipality of Picton was amalgamated into Wollondilly Shire and the Shire Council was then expanded to consist of eight councillors representing four ridings. The first Provisional Council comprised: George John Adams and Edgar Henry Kirk Downes for A Riding; Eric Moore and Septimus Ernest Prosser for B Riding; James Thomas Carroll and Edward Wonson for C Riding' and John Bradburn Cartwright and Roy Carrington Pearce for D Riding. The council seat was subsequently moved from The Oaks to Picton.

Demographics

At the 2016 census, there were 48,519 people in the Wollondilly local government area, with an equal proportion of males and females. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 2.4% of the population which is on par with the national average. The median age of people in the Wollondilly Shire was 36 years. Children aged 0–14 years made up 23.1% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 10.8% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 54.9% were married and 10.4% were either divorced or separated.

Population growth in the Wollondilly Shire between the 2001 Census and the 2006 Census was 9.18%; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 Census, population growth was 7.23%. This was higher than the population growth for Australia from 2001 to 2006 (5.78%) but less than the national figure for 2006 to 2011 (8.32%). The median weekly income for residents within the Wollondilly Shire was marginally higher than the national average.

At the 2011 Census, the proportion of residents in the Wollondilly local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon was more than 63% (national average was 65.2%). More than 69% of Wollondilly Shire residents nominated a religious affiliation of Christianity at the 2011 Census, which was well above the national average of 50.2%. Compared to the national average, there was a lower than average proportion of households in the Wollondilly local government area (8.3%) where two or more languages were spoken (national average was 20.4%), and a significantly higher proportion (91.2%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).

Selected historical census data for Wollondilly local government area
Census year 2001 2006 2011 2016 2021
Population Estimated residents on census night 36,953 40,344 43,259 48,519 53,961
Average population growth p/a 1.84% Decrease 1.45% Increase 2.43% Decrease 2.23%
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales 54th Increase 49th Increase 47th Increase 46th
% of New South Wales population 0.59% Increase 0.62% Increase 0.63% Increase 0.65% Increase 0.67%
% of Australian population 0.20% Steady 0.20% Steady 0.20% Increase 0.21% Steady 0.21%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income Median weekly personal income A$502 Increase A$617 Increase A$738 Increase A$877
% of Australian median income 107.7% Decrease 106.9% Increase 111.5% Decrease 108.9%
Family income Median weekly family income A$1,186 Increase A$1,661 Increase A$2,032 Increase A$2,350
% of Australian median income 115.5% Decrease 112.2% Increase 117.2% Decrease 110.8%
Household income Median weekly household income A$1,321 Increase A$1,478 Increase A$1,871 Increase A$2,151
% of Australian median income 112.8% Increase 119.8% Increase 130.1% Decrease 123.2%
Selected historical census data for Camden local government area
Ancestry, top responses
2001 2006 2011 2016 2021
No Data No Data Australian 33.9% Australian Decrease 33.3% Australian 43.5%
English 29.2% English Decrease 28.2% English 39.5%
Irish 7.9% Irish Decrease 7.7% Irish 10.3%
Scottish 6.2% Scottish Increase 6.4% Scottish 9.1%
Italian 2.9% Italian Increase 3.4% Scottish 5.4%
Country of Birth, top responses
2001 2006 2011 2016 2021
Australia 81.1% Australia Increase 81.9% Australia Increase 83.1% Australia Decrease 82.1% Australia Increase 84.2%
England 5.2% England Decrease 4.5% England Decrease 4.3% England Decrease 3.8% England Decrease 3.3%
New Zealand 0.9% New Zealand Increase 1.0% New Zealand Steady 1.0% New Zealand Steady 1.0% New Zealand Steady 1.0%
Scotland 0.7% Scotland Decrease 0.6% Scotland Steady 0.6% Scotland Decrease 0.5% Scotland Steady 0.5%
Italy 0.6% Italy Decrease 0.5% Italy Steady 0.5% Italy Decrease 0.4% Italy Steady 0.4%
Germany 0.6% Germany Decrease 0.5% Germany Decrease 0.4% Germany Steady 0.4% Malta Increase 0.4%
Language, top responses (other than English)
2001 2006 2011 2016 2021
Italian 0.8% Italian Steady 0.8% Italian Steady 0.8% Italian Decrease 0.7% Italian Steady 0.7%
Arabic 0.5% Arabic Steady 0.5% Arabic Decrease 0.4% Arabic Increase 0.6% Arabic Increase 0.7%
Maltese 0.5% Maltese Decrease 0.4% Maltese Steady 0.4% Spanish Increase 0.4% Spanish Increase 0.5%
German 0.4% Greek Increase 0.3% Greek Steady 0.3% Maltese Steady 0.4% Maltese Steady 0.4%
Estonian 0.4% German Decrease 0.3% German Steady 0.3% Greek Steady 0.3% Croatian Increase 0.3%
Religious affiliation, top responses
2001 2006 2011 2016 2021
Anglican 33.4% Anglican Decrease 32.3% Anglican Increase 32.5% Catholic Decrease 30.2% No Religion Increase 31.9%
Catholic 29.3% Catholic Increase 30.1% Catholic Increase 30.9% Anglican Decrease 27.5% Catholic Decrease 28.8%
No Religion 11.2% No Religion Increase 13.7% No Religion Increase 15.4% No Religion Increase 21.4% Anglican Decrease 21.1%
United Church 5.3% United Church Decrease 4.2% United Church Decrease 3.8% Uniting Church Decrease 3.0% United Church Decrease 2.0%
Presbyterian
and Reformed
3.2% Presbyterian
and Reformed
Decrease 2.8% Presbyterian
and Reformed
Decrease 2.4% Presbyterian
and Reformed
Decrease 2.0% Christian (Undefined) Increase 1.7%

Council

Current composition and election method

Wollondilly Shire Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as two wards, each electing 4 councillors as well as a popularly elected mayor who is elected at large. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office.

Party Councillors
Independents 9
Total 9

The current council was elected in December 2021, with the current Mayor Matt Gould being the first popularly elected mayor in the history of the shire. Prior to this the mayor was elected by the councillors for a period of 2 years. The Mayor and Councillors are also allocated one or more portfolios that they have strategic oversight of. The current members of the council are:

Ward Councillor Party Portfolios Notes
Mayor Matt Gould Independent Agriculture, Indigenous Matters Mayor Dec 2021–present, Deputy Mayor 2018–2020
East Ward Matthew Deeth Independent Customer Experience & Corporate Services Deputy Mayor Dec 2021–present, Mayor 2018–2020
Paul Rogers Independent Roads
Michael Banasik Independent Environment, Mining & Energy Mayor 2004–2005, 2008–2009, 2010–2011, Deputy Mayor 2020–2022
Suzy Brandstater Independent Arts & Culture, Sustainable Growth & Planning
North Ward Hilton Gibbs Independent Traffic Management & Transport, Community Facilities Deputy Mayor 2015–2016
Blair Briggs Independent Emergency Management, Economic Development, Sport & Wellbeing
Judy Hannan Independent Tourism, Heritage Mayor 2007–2008, 2016–2018
Beverley Spearpoint Independent Community

Shire Presidents and Mayors

# Chairman Term start Term end Time in office Notes
1 George Macarthur-Onslow 15 June 1906 3 December 1906 171 days
# Shire President Term start Term end Time in office Notes
– George Macarthur-Onslow 3 December 1906 11 January 1907 39 days
2 John Edward Moore 11 January 1907 13 February 1908 1 year, 33 days
3 James Oswald Moore 13 February 1908 3 June 1909 1 year, 110 days
4 Alfred Leonard Bennett 8 June 1909 3 October 1913 4 years, 117 days
– John Edward Moore 7 October 1913 12 February 1915 1 year, 128 days
5 Charles Green Moore 12 February 1915 21 September 1918 3 years, 221 days
– John Edward Moore 25 September 1918 11 December 1925 7 years, 77 days
6 Edgar Henry Kirk Downes 11 December 1925 10 December 1926 364 days
– George Macarthur-Onslow 10 December 1926 12 September 1931 4 years, 276 days
7 George Joseph Spearing 18 September 1931 18 December 1931 91 days
– Edgar Henry Kirk Downes 18 December 1931 4 December 1936 4 years, 352 days
8 Eric Moore 4 December 1936 7 December 1938 2 years, 3 days
– Edgar Henry Kirk Downes 7 December 1938 13 December 1939 1 year, 6 days
9 Septimus Ernest Prosser 13 December 1939 17 December 1941 2 years, 4 days
– Edgar Henry Kirk Downes 17 December 1941 10 May 1946 4 years, 144 days
– Eric Moore 10 May 1946 18 December 1947 1 year, 222 days
10 Lachlan Nicholson 18 December 1947 14 December 1950 2 years, 361 days
11 Percy William Early 14 December 1950 17 December 1953 3 years, 3 days
12 Murrum Edward Sweet 17 December 1953 19 December 1957 4 years, 2 days
13 Roy Ernest Middleton 19 December 1957 17 September 1977 19 years, 272 days
14 Francis William McKay AM MBE 17 September 1977 30 June 1993 15 years, 286 days
# Mayor Term start Term end Time in office Notes
– Francis William McKay AM MBE 1 July 1993 27 September 1993 88 days
15 Charles John Desmond Ayliffe 27 September 1993 26 September 1994 364 days
16 Christine Towndrow 26 September 1994 23 September 1996 1 year, 363 days
17 Marina Voncina 23 September 1996 28 September 1998 2 years, 5 days
– Christine Towndrow 28 September 1998 27 September 1999 364 days
18 Helen Kuiper 27 September 1999 25 September 2000 364 days
– Christine Towndrow 25 September 2000 24 September 2001 364 days
19 Colin Mitchell 24 September 2001 15 April 2004 2 years, 204 days
20 Michael Banasik 15 April 2004 19 September 2005 1 year, 157 days
21 Phil Costa 19 September 2005 16 April 2007 1 year, 209 days
22 Judith Hannan 16 April 2007 13 September 2008 1 year, 150 days
– Michael Banasik 13 September 2008 21 September 2009 1 year, 8 days
– Colin Mitchell 21 September 2009 20 September 2010 364 days
– Michael Banasik 20 September 2010 19 September 2011 364 days
– Colin Mitchell 19 September 2011 16 September 2013 1 year, 362 days
22 Benn Banasik 17 September 2013 15 September 2014 364 days
– Colin Mitchell 15 September 2014 21 September 2015 1 year, 6 days
23 Simon Landow 21 September 2015 26 September 2016 1 year, 5 days
– Judith Hannan 26 September 2016 17 December 2018 2 years, 82 days
24 Matthew Deeth 17 December 2018 15 September 2020 1 year, 273 days
25 Robert Khan 15 September 2020 21 December 2021 1 year, 97 days
26 Matt Gould 21 December 2021 Present 2 years, 195 days

Heritage listings

The Wollondilly Shire has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Local media

Wollondilly is home to two local newspapers, the District Reporter and the Wollondilly Express. Other regional media which serve the area are radio stations, 2MCR and C91.3FM,and the "Macarthur Chronicle" a regional newspaper covering the wider Macarthur Region.