The Hills Shire

The Hills Shire (from 1906–2008 as Baulkham Hills Shire) is a local government area in the Greater Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The suburb is north-west of the Sydney central business district, and encompasses 401 square kilometres (155 sq mi) stretching from the M2 Hills Motorway in the south to Wiseman's Ferry on the Hawkesbury River in the north. The Hills Shire had a population of 157,243 as at the 2016 census.[1]

The Hills Shire
New South Wales
Coordinates33°46′S 151°00′E
Population
 • Density407.4/km2 (1,055.1/sq mi)
Established6 March 1906
Area386 km2 (149.0 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10)
 • Summer (DST)AEDT (UTC+11)
MayorCr. Michelle Byrne (Liberal)
Council seatBaulkham Hills
RegionHills District
State electorate(s)
Federal Division(s)
WebsiteThe Hills Shire
LGAs around The Hills Shire:
Hawkesbury Central Coast Council Hornsby
Blacktown The Hills Shire Hornsby
Blacktown Parramatta Parramatta

The current Mayor of The Hills Shire is Cr. Michelle Byrne (Liberal), who was elected on 9 September 2017.[3]

Suburbs in the local government area

Suburbs at least partially within The Hills Shire are:

Demographics

At the 2016 census, there were 157,243 people in The Hills local government area; of these 49.3 per cent were male and 50.7 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 0.5 per cent of the population; significantly below the NSW and Australian averages of 2.9 and 2.8 per cent respectively. The median age of people in The Hills Shire was 38 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 21.4 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 13.5 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 61.6 per cent were married and 7.1 per cent were either divorced or separated.[1]

Population growth in The Hills Shire between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 15.2 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 6.58 per cent. At the 2016 census, the population in the Shire decreased by 7.43 per cent, brought about by a reduction in the Shire area from 401 square kilometres (155 sq mi) to 386 square kilometres (149 sq mi) due to the 2015 review of local government boundaries when former parts of The Hills Shire were transferred to the City of Parramatta Council.[4] Total population growth of Australia for the period between the 2011 and 2016 census periods was 8.8 per cent.[5] The median weekly income for residents within The Hills Shire was approximately 150% higher than the national average.[1]

At the 2016 census, the proportion of residents in The Hills local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon approached 32 per cent of all residents. In excess of 64 per cent of all residents in The Hills Shire nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2016 census, which was in excess of the national average of 57.7 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in The Hills local government area had a higher than average proportion (37.2 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 22.2 per cent); and a lower proportion (65.3 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 72.7 per cent).[1]

Selected historical census data for The Hills local government area
Census year2001[6]2006[7]2011[8]2016[1]
PopulationEstimated residents on census night138,420 159,391 169,872 157,243
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales9th 15th
% of New South Wales population2.46% 2.02%
% of Australian population0.74% 0.80% 0.79% 0.67%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses		English21.5% 20.4%
Australian22.1% 19.1%
Chinese8.5% 9.6%
Irish6.5% 6.6%
Scottish5.4% 5.3%
Language,
top responses
(other than English)		Mandarin1.5% 2.4% 3.9% 6.4%
Cantonese4.4% 4.5% 4.4% 3.4%
Korean1.3% 1.6% 2.1% 2.0%
Hindi0.6% 0.9% 1.3% 1.9%
Arabic1.6% 1.8% 1.9% 1.7%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses		Catholic32.3% 32.5% 31.4% 28.9%
No religion, so described10.4% 12.5% 15.7% 21.2%
Anglican22.7% 20.0% 18.5% 14.9%
Not stated5.9%
Hinduism1.6% 2.4% 3.1% 4.5%
Median weekly incomes
Personal incomeMedian weekly personal income$625$719$827
% of Australian median income134.1% 124.6% 124.9%
Family incomeMedian weekly family income$1,732$2,188 $2,464
% of Australian median income168.6% 147.7% 142.1%
Household incomeMedian weekly household income$1,847$2,044 $2,363
% of Australian median income157.7% 165.6% 164.3%

Current Council composition and election method

The Hills Shire Council is composed of twelve Councillors elected proportionally as four separate wards, each electing three Councillors. All Councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. A referendum held on 1 September 2015 changed the system of electing the Mayor, from annual election by the councillors in favour of direct election of the Mayor by electors for a four-year term, which took effect from the September 2017 election.[9] The most recent election was held on 9 September 2017, and the makeup of the Council is as follows:[10][11][12][13]

PartyCouncillors
  Liberal Party of Australia 10
  Australian Labor Party 3
Total 13

The current Council, elected in 2017, in order of election by ward, is:

WardCouncillorPartyNotes
Mayor[14]   Dr. Michelle Byrne Liberal Mayor 2013–2014, 2015–2016, Deputy Mayor 2014–2015
Central Ward[10]   Elizabeth Russo Liberal
  Frank De Masi Liberal
  Tony Hay OAM Labor
East Ward[11]   Alan Haselden Liberal
  Samuel Uno Liberal
  Ryan Tracey Labor
North Ward[12]   Robyn Preston Liberal Deputy Mayor 2016–date
  Peter Gangemi Liberal
  Brooke Collins OAM Liberal
West Ward[13]   Mike Thomas Liberal
  Raymond Harty OAM Labor
  Reena Jethi Liberal

History
Hills Shire boundaries, 1906–2016.

The earliest records of human settlement date back to the early 1800s when Dharug Aborigines inhabited the region. Governor Phillip is said to be the first European to have visited the Hills in 1788. The Hills Shire started developing gradually with its new road systems and farming as more Europeans settled here. The first school started in 1840 followed by a general store and a post office. In 1902, the tram from Parramatta to Baulkham Hills was inaugurated and telephone links were established by 1907. The population rose steadily over the years along with infrastructure development of the Hills Shire.[15]

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) recommended that The Hills Shire merge with adjoining councils. The government considered two proposals. The first proposed a merger of parts of The Hills with the Hawkesbury City Council to form a new council with an area of 3,161 square kilometres (1,220 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 224,000.[16] The second proposed a merger of parts of Parramatta, Auburn, The Hills, Hornsby, and Holroyd to form a new council with an area of 82 square kilometres (32 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 215,725.[17] Following an independent review, on 12 May 2016 the Minister for Local Government announced that the merger of parts of The Hills Shire suburbs south of the M2 Motorway (North Rocks, Northmead and part of Baulkham Hills) with the City of Parramatta to form a revised City of Parramatta Council, with immediate effect. Other proposals impacting The Hills Shire were rejected by the Government.[4]

In June 2020, Councillor Brooke Collins made national news for controversially objecting to the Welcome to country, reportedly stating "How do you know they didn’t wipe out another race when they arrived here 70,000 years ago?".[18][19]

Heritage listings

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

Recent controversies

In 2020, the Hills Shire Council, whose local government area covers Darug land, caused controversy by rejecting requests to include an Acknowledgment of Country at its meetings. The Hills Shire Council is the only Sydney local council that does not include an Acknowledgment of Country at its meetings.[30]

Sister cities
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See also

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "The Hills Shire (A)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 July 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. McCallum, Jake (11 September 2017). "Local government election results: Liberal councillor Michelle Byrne claims victory as mayor of Hills Shire". Hills Shire Times. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  4. "City of Parramatta Council". Stronger Councils. Government of New South Wales. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  5. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Australia". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  6. Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Baulkham Hills (A)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  7. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Baulkham Hills (A)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  8. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "The Hills Shire (A)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  9. Bradley, Penelope (14 September 2012). "Hills residents to elect their own mayor". Hill Shire Times. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  10. "The Hills Shire – Central Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2017. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  11. "The Hills Shire – East Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2017. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  12. "The Hills Shire – North Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2017. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  13. "The Hills Shire – West Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2017. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  14. "The Hills Shire – Mayoral Contest". NSW Local Council Elections 2017. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  15. "The Hills Shire Timeline". The Hills Sydney's Garden Shire.
  16. "Merger proposal: Hawskesbury City Council, The Hills Shire (part)" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 7. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  17. "Merger proposal: Parramatta City Council (part), Auburn City Council (part), The Hills Shire Council (part), Hornsby Shire Council (part), Holroyd City Council (part)" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 8. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  18. McCormack, Ange (4 June 2020). "Community angered as Sydney Councillor refuses to perform Acknowledgement of Country". Triple J. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  19. Mascarenhas, Carla; McCallum, Jake. "Hills Councillor Brooke Collins questions if indigenous ancestors could have wiped out another race". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  20. "Pearce Family Cemetery". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00593. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  21. "Bella Vista". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00754. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  22. "Box Hill House in grounds of McCall gardens". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00613. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  23. "Box Hill Inn". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00724. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  24. "Third Government Farm (former)". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01448. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  25. "St. Paul's Anglican Church". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00332. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  26. "Cattai Estate". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00982. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  27. "Great Drain and two house sites". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H01402. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  28. "Hunting Lodge (former)". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00632. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  29. "Royal Oak Inn (former)". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00698. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  30. “Hills Shire Council Acknowledgement of Country motion defeated again”. ABC News. Retrieved Jun 24, 2020.
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