City of Greater Taree

The Greater Taree City Council (GTCC) was a local government area on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, until 12 May 2016 when it was amalgamated to form part of the Mid-Coast Council. It was originally formed in 1981 from the Manning Shire, and the Taree and Wingham Municipal Councils. The Council was centred on Taree, located adjacent to the Manning River, the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line.

This article is about the former local government area. For the regional town, see Taree, New South Wales.

Greater Taree
New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates31°54′S 152°27′E
Population46,541 (2011)[1]
 • Density12.48/km2 (32.3/sq mi)
Established1981
Abolished12 May 2016 (2016-05-12)
Area3,730 km2 (1,440.2 sq mi)
MayorPaul Hogan (Unaligned)
Council seatTaree
RegionMid North Coast
State electorate(s)
Federal Division(s)Lyne
WebsiteGreater Taree
LGAs around Greater Taree:
Walcha Port Macquarie-Hastings Tasman Sea
Gloucester Greater Taree Tasman Sea
Gloucester Great Lakes Tasman Sea

The last serving Mayor of GTCC was Cr. Paul Hogan, an unaligned politician.

Towns and localities

Towns and localities included in the former GTCC were:

Demographics

At the last 2011 Census performed for the local government area, there were 46,541 people in the GTCC government area, of these 48.7% were male and 51.3% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5.4% of the population, double the national average. The median age of people in the City of Greater Taree was 46 years; some nine years higher than the national median. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 18.6% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 22.5% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 50.0% were married and 14.8% were either divorced or separated.[1]

Population growth in the GTCC between the 2001 Census and the 2006 Census has been 5.39%; and in the subsequent five years was 3.09%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in the GTCC local government area was significantly lower than the national average.[2] The median weekly income for residents within the GTCC was significantly below the national average,[1][3] being one of the factors that place the GTCC in an area of social disadvantage.

At the 2011 Census, the last to be performed for the former council, the proportion of residents in the local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 83% of all residents (national average was 65.2%). In excess of 62% of all residents in the GTCC had nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 Census, which was higher than the national average of 50.2%. Meanwhile, as at the Census date, compared to the national average, households in the GTCC government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (3.4%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4%); and a significantly higher proportion (93.3%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).[1]

Selected historical census data for Greater Taree local government area
Census year2001[2]2006[3]2011[1]
PopulationEstimated residents on Census night42,83845,14546,541
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales
% of New South Wales population0.67%
% of Australian population0.23% 0.23% 0.22%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses		Australian34.3%
English33.1%
Irish8.0%
Scottish7.6%
German2.9%
Language,
top responses
(other than English)		German0.2% 0.2% 0.3%
Italian0.2% 0.1% 0.1%
Dutch0.2% 0.2% 0.1%
Cantonese0.1% 0.2% 0.1%
Frenchn/cn/c 0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses		Anglican34.9% 33.3% 32.3%
Catholic20.0% 20.1% 19.2%
No Religion11.5% 14.8% 18.4%
Uniting Church8.7% 7.5% 6.8%
Presbyterian and Reformed5.1% 4.7% 4.4%
Median weekly incomes
Personal incomeMedian weekly personal incomeA$336A$395
% of Australian median income72.1%68.5%
Family incomeMedian weekly family incomeA$635A$930
% of Australian median income61.8%62.8%
Household incomeMedian weekly household incomeA$798A$770
% of Australian median income68.1%62.4%

Council

Previous composition and election method

GTCC was last formed with nine Councillors, including the Mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor was directly elected while eight other Councillors were elected proportionally as one entire ward. The last election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council when it was amalgamated into the Mid-Coast Council, including the Mayor, was as follows:[4][5]

PartyCouncillors
  Independents and Unaligned 9
Total 9

The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election, is:[5]

CouncillorPartyNotes
  Paul Hogan Unaligned Mayor[4]
  Trent Jennison Unaligned Elected on Paul Hogan's ticket
  Peter Epov Independent
  Kathryn Bell Independent
  Alan Tickle Unaligned
  David Keegan Independent
  Brad Christensen Independent
  David West Unaligned
  Robyn Jenkins Unaligned

History

The first movement to establish the GTCC began in November 1959. The Taree Municipal Council applied to the Department of Local Government to extend its boundaries to the coastal area between Old Bar and Seal Rocks.[6]

At an inquiry of the Boundaries Commission at Taree in 1976, the Dungog Shire proposed that the areas covered by the shires of Dungog, Gloucester, Great Lakes and Manning and the municipalities of Taree and Wingham be combined into two areas "to elevate local government to its proper role". At this stage, Taree Municipal Council proposed only their merger with the Municipality of Wingham. A decision was postponed for five years.[6] Due to the town of Taree not having a town hall, the Taree Municipal Council could not be renamed to The Greater Taree City Council as planned. However, by merging the Municipality of Taree and Municipality of Wingham together so that Taree could claim the town hall in Wingham as they own, only then could the formation of the Greater Taree City Council be formed.

On 1 January 1981, the City of Greater Taree was proclaimed, encompassing the Municipalities of Taree and Wingham and the Manning Valley Shire.[6][7]

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal had recommended the merger of a number of adjoining councils. In the initial proposal, the City of Greater Taree was not included in any amalgamation proposals. The amalgamation of the Gloucester, Great Lakes and Greater Taree councils was proclaimed on 12 May 2016, and followed the submission for such an amalgamation by Gloucester Shire Council.[8]

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References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Greater Taree (C)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Greater Taree (C)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  3. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Greater Taree (C)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  4. "Greater Taree City Council - Mayoral Election". Local Government Elections 2012. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  5. "Greater Taree City Council – Summary of First Preference and Group Votes for each Candidate". Local Government Elections 2012. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  6. Ramsland, John (1987). The Struggle Against Isolation – A History of the Manning Valley. North Sydney, New South Wales: Library of Australian History. pp. 300–301. ISBN 0-908120-67-2.
  7. "Taree". The Age. 16 August 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
  8. Toole, Paul (March 2016). "Dungog and Maitland councils Proposal" (PDF). Minister for Local Government. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
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