Gloucester Shire

Gloucester Shire (/ˈɡlɒstər/ (listen) GLOS-tər) was a local government area in the Mid North Coast and Upper Hunter regions of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was situated adjacent to the Bucketts Way and the North Coast railway line.

This article is about the former local government area in Australia. For the English county, see Gloucestershire.

Gloucester Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	32°00′S 151°58′E
Population	4,877 (2011 census)[1]
• Density	1.6521/km^2 (4.2789/sq mi)
Abolished	2016
Area	2,952 km^2 (1,139.8 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Mayor	John Rosenbaum[2]
Council seat	Gloucester
Region	Hunter[3]
State electorate(s)	Upper Hunter[4]
Federal Division(s)	Lyne[5]
Website	Gloucester Shire
LGAs around Gloucester Shire: Tamworth Walcha Greater Taree Upper Hunter Gloucester Shire Greater Taree Dungog Great Lakes Greater Taree

The last mayor of the Gloucester Shire Council was Cr. John Rosenbaum, an independent politician.[2]

Towns and localities

The Shire included the following towns and localities:

• Gloucester
• Barrington
• Copeland
• Craven
• Stratford

Amalgamation

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the Gloucester Shire merge with adjoining councils. The government considered two proposals. The first proposed a merger of Gloucester Shire and Dungog Shire councils to form a new council with an area of 5,200 square kilometres (2,000 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 14,000.[6] Following the lodging of an alternate proposal by Gloucester Shire Council to amalgamate the Gloucester, Great Lakes and Greater Taree councils, the NSW Minister for Local Government proposed a merger between the Dungog Shire and City of Maitland.[7]

The Council was dissolved on 12 May 2016 and the area included in the Mid-Coast Council, along with City of Greater Taree and Great Lakes Council.[8]

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 4,877 people in the Gloucester Shire local government area, of these 49.8 per cent were male and 50.2 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 4.7 per cent of the population, which was significantly higher than the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the Gloucester Shire was 50 years, which was significantly higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 16.0 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 26.0 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 54.7 per cent were married and 13.1 per cent were either divorced or separated.[1]

Population growth in the Gloucester Shire between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 2.54 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 1.56 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78 per cent and 8.32 per cent respectively, population growth in the Gloucester Shire local government area was approximately one-third of the national average.[9][10] The median weekly income for residents within the Gloucester Shire was significantly lower than the national average.[1]

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Gloucester Shire local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 86 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 66% of all residents in the Gloucester Shire nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was significantly higher than the national average of 50.2 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Gloucester Shire local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (2.0 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (96.0 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).[1]

Selected historical census data for the Gloucester Shire local government area
Census year			2001[9]	2006[10]	2011[1]
Population		Estimated residents on Census night	4,683	4,802	4,877
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales
		% of New South Wales population			0.07%
		% of Australian population	0.02%	0.02%	0.02%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			36.3%
		English			34.8%
		Scottish			9.0%
		Irish			6.7%
		German			3.5%
Language, top responses (other than English)		German	0.3%	0.1%	0.3%
		Cantonese	n/c	0.1%	0.2%
		Dutch	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%
		Italian	n/c	n/c	0.2%
		French	0.1%	0.2%	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Anglican	40.4%	37.5%	36.3%
		No Religion	9.8%	12.1%	16.5%
		Catholic	16.5%	15.7%	15.5%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	8.9%	8.0%	7.7%
		Uniting Church	8.1%	7.3%	7.3%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$343	A$422
		% of Australian median income		73.6%	73.1%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$846	A$971
		% of Australian median income		72.2%	65.6%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$665	A$810
		% of Australian median income		64.8%	65.6%

Council

Composition and election method

At the time of dissolution, Gloucester Shire Council was composed of seven councillors, elected proportionally as a single ward. All councillors were elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor was elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The last election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the council was as follows:[11]

Party		Councillors
	Independents and Unaligned	7
	Total	7

The last Council, elected in 2012 and dissolved in 2016, in order of election, was:[11]

Councillor		Party	Notes
	Frank Hooke	Unaligned	Deputy Mayor[2]
	Aled Hoggett	Independent
	John Rosenbaum	Independent	Mayor[2]
	Jim Henderson	Unaligned
	James Hooke	Unaligned
	Tony Tersteeg	Independent
	Katheryn Smith	Independent

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Gloucester (Local Government Area)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
2. "Councillors & Profiles". Council. Gloucester Shire Council. September 2012. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
3. "Suburb Search - Local Council Boundaries - Hunter (HT) - Gloucester Shire Council". New South Wales Division of Local Government. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
4. "Upper Hunter". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
5. "Lyne". Australian Electoral Commission. 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
6. "Merger proposal: Dungog Shire Council, Gloucester Shire Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 8. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
7. Toole, Paul (March 2016). "Dungog and Maitland councils Proposal" (PDF). Minister for Local Government. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
8. "Mid-Coast Council". Stronger Councils. Government of New South Wales. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
9. Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Gloucester (A)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
10. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Gloucester (A)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
11. "Gloucester Shire 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 2 October 2012.