Tenterfield Shire

Tenterfield Shire is a local government area located in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is situated adjacent to the New England Highway.

This article is about the local government area. For the regional city, see Tenterfield, New South Wales.

Tenterfield Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	29°03′09″S 152°01′07″E
Population	6,628 (2016 census)[1] 6,638 (2018 est.)[2]
• Density	0.90398/km^2 (2.3413/sq mi)
Area	7,332 km^2 (2,830.9 sq mi)
Mayor	Peter Petty (Unaligned)
Council seat	Tenterfield[3]
Region	New England
State electorate(s)	Lismore
Federal Division(s)	New England
Website	Tenterfield Shire
LGAs around Tenterfield Shire: Southern Downs (Qld) Southern Downs (Qld) Kyogle Inverell Tenterfield Shire Richmond Valley Glen Innes Severn Glen Innes Severn Clarence Valley

The Mayor of the Tenterfield Shire Council is Cr. Peter Petty, an unaligned politician.

Main towns, villages and localities

The Shire includes the town of Tenterfield and villages including Drake, Jennings, Liston, Legume, Bolivia, Sandy Flat, Stannum, Torrington, Urbenville and Mingoola. Localities include Amosfield, Boonoo Boonoo, Maryland, Sunnyside and Willsons Downfall.

Heritage listings

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

• High Conservation Value Old Growth forest[4]
• Sunnyside, Main Northern railway: Sunnyside rail bridge over Tenterfield Creek[5]
• Tenterfield, Railway Avenue: Tenterfield railway station[6]
• Tenterfield, Manners Street: Tenterfield School of Arts[7]
• Tenterfield, 225 Rouse Street: Tenterfield Post Office[8]

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 6,811 people in the Tenterfield 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 6.8 per cent of the population which is approximately two-and-a-half times above both the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the Tenterfield Shire was 47 years; significantly higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 19.0 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 20.9 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 50.4 per cent were married and 15.1 per cent were either divorced or separated.[9]

Between the 2001 census and the 2011 census the Tenterfield Shire experienced nominal population growth in both absolute and real terms. 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 Tenterfield Shire local government area was significantly lower than the national average.[10] The median weekly income for residents within the Tenterfield Shire was significantly below the national average; in some cases, nearly half the national average.[9][11]

Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Tenterfield Shire local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (3.6 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (92.2 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).[9]

Selected historical census data

Selected historical census data for Tenterfield Shire local government area
Census year			2001[10]	2006[11]	2011[9]
Population		Estimated residents on Census night	6,363	6,534	6,811
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales		117th
		% of New South Wales population		0.10%	0.10%
		% of Australian population	0.03%	0.03%	0.03%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			31.0%
		English			29.9%
		Irish			10.0%
		Scottish			7.9%
		German			5.4%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Italian	0.8%	0.7%	0.5%
		German	0.3%	0.4%	0.4%
		Bandjalang	n/c	n/c	0.2%
		French	n/c	0.1%	0.1%
		Filipino	n/c	n/c	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Anglican	31.5%	30.0%	27.6%
		Catholic	24.3%	24.4%	23.8%
		No Religion	10.6%	14.0%	17.9%
		Uniting Church	8.5%	6.9%	5.8%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	6.0%	5.7%	5.3%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$307	A$377
		% of Australian median personal income		65.9%	65.3%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$695	A$865
		% of Australian median family income		59.4%	58.4%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$583	A$694
		% of Australian median household income		56.8%	56.2%

Council

Tenterfield Shire Council, Rouse Street, Tenterfield.

Current composition and election method

Tenterfield Shire Council is composed of ten Councillors elected proportionally as five separate wards, each electing two Councillors. All Councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is by the Councillors at the first meeting of the Council. The most recent election was held on 10 September 2016 and the makeup of the Council is as follows:[12][13][14][15][16]

Party		Councillors
	Independent and Unaligned	10
	Total	10

The current Council, elected in 2016, in order of election by ward, is:

Ward	Councillor				Party	Notes
Ward A[12]			Peter Petty		Unaligned	Mayor[17]
			Gary Verri		Independent
Ward B[13]			Bronwyn Petrie		Unaligned
			John Macnish		Independent
Ward C[14]			Brian Murray		Independent
			Thomas Peters		Independent
Ward D[15]			Don Forbes		Independent
			John Martin		Independent
Ward E[16]			Michael Petrie		Independent
			Greg Sauer		Unaligned	Deputy Mayor[17]

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Tenterfield (A)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
2. "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019. Estimated resident population (ERP) at 30 June 2018.
3. "Tenterfield Shire Council". Department of Local Government. Retrieved 2 December 2006.
4. "High Conservation Value Old Growth forest". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01487. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
5. "Sunnyside rail bridge over Tenterfield Creek". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01056. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
6. "Tenterfield Railway Station group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01267. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
7. "Tenterfield School of Arts". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01506. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
8. "Tenterfield Post Office & Quarters". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01315. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
9. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Tenterfield (A)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
10. Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Tenterfield (A)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
11. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Tenterfield (A)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
12. "Tenterfield Council - A Ward: Summary of First Preference Votes for each Candidate". Local Government Elections 2016. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
13. "Tenterfield Council - B Ward: Summary of First Preference Votes for each Candidate". Local Government Elections 2016. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
14. "Tenterfield Council - C Ward: Summary of First Preference Votes for each Candidate". Local Government Elections 2016. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
15. "Tenterfield Council - D Ward: Summary of First Preference Votes for each Candidate". Local Government Elections 2016. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
16. "Tenterfield Council - E Ward: Summary of First Preference Votes for each Candidate". Local Government Elections 2016. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
17. "Mayor's name drawn from a hat". Tenterfield Star. 28 September 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.