Ballina Shire

Ballina Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	28°50′S 153°32′E / 28.833°S 153.533°E / -28.833; 153.533Coordinates: 28°50′S 153°32′E / 28.833°S 153.533°E / -28.833; 153.533
Population	41,828 (2015 est)[1]
• Density	86.42/km2 (223.83/sq mi)
Established	1976
Area	484 km2 (186.9 sq mi)
Mayor	David Wright
Council seat	Ballina[2]
Region	Northern Rivers
State electorate(s)	Ballina
Federal Division(s)	Page
Website	Ballina Shire
LGAs around Ballina Shire: Lismore Byron Tasman Sea Lismore Ballina Shire Tasman Sea Richmond Valley Richmond Valley Tasman Sea

Ballina Shire is a local government area in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was formed in 1976 by the amalgamation of the Municipality of Ballina and Tintenbar Shire. The Shire is located adjacent to the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Highway. The Council seat is located in the town of Ballina.

The Mayor of Ballina Shire Council is David Wright, an independent politician.

Towns and localities

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 39,274 people in the Ballina local government area, of these 48.0 per cent were male and 52.0 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.1 per cent of the population, which was higher than the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the Ballina Shire area was 45 years, which was significantly higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 17.9 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 21.5 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 49.8 per cent were married and 14.1 per cent were either divorced or separated.^[3]

Population growth in the Ballina Shira area between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 3.89 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 2.11 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 Ballina local government area was significantly lower than the national average.^[4][5] The median weekly income for residents within the Ballina Shire area was significantly lower than the national average.^[3]

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Ballina local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 85 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 60% of all residents in the Ballina 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 Ballina local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (4.7 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (93.1 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).^[3]

Selected historical census data for the Ballina Shire local government area
Census year			2001[4]	2006[5]	2011[3]
Population		Estimated residents on Census night	37,017	38,461	39,274
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales
		% of New South Wales population			0.56%
		% of Australian population	0.20%	0.19%	0.18%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		English			32.0%
		Australian			31.2%
		Irish			10.5%
		Scottish			8.1%
		German			3.1%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Italian	0.3%	0.4%	0.4%
		German	0.3%	0.3%	0.3%
		Dutch	0.2%	0.2%	0.2%
		Spanish	n/c	n/c	0.2%
		Japanese	n/c	n/c	0.2%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic	25.1%	25.5%	25.1%
		Anglican	28.4%	26.1%	24.2%
		No Religion	13.4%	17.4%	21.4%
		Uniting Church	7.4%	6.3%	5.6%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	6.4%	5.6%	5.2%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$397	A$496
		% of Australian median income		85.2%	86.0%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$1,017	A$1,153
		% of Australian median income		86.8%	77.9%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$779	A$930
		% of Australian median income		75.9%	75.4%

Council

Current composition and election method

Ballina Shire Council is composed of ten Councillors, including the Mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is directly elected while the nine other Councillors are elected proportionally as three separate wards, each electing three Councillors. The most recent election was held on 10 September 2016, and the makeup of the Council, including the Mayor, is as follows:^[6][7][8][9]

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

References

External links

• Ballina Shire Council