Lockhart Shire

This article is about thelocal government area.For the regional town, seeLockhart, New South Wales.

Lockhart Shire New South Wales
Location inNew South Wales
Coordinates	35°13′S146°43′E
Population	3,119 (2016) 3,295 (2018 est.)
• Density	1.07726/km2(2.7901/sq mi)
Established	1906
Area	2,895.32 km2(1,117.9 sq mi)
Mayor	Rodger Schirmer
Council seat	Lockhart
Region	Riverina
State electorate(s)	Wagga Wagga
Website	Lockhart Shire
LGAsaround Lockhart Shire: Narrandera Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga Federation Lockhart Shire Wagga Wagga Federation Greater Hume Greater Hume

Lockhart Shireis alocal government areain theRiverinaregion ofNew South Wales,Australia.The Shire was created in 1906 and is an agricultural and pastoral area.

The main towns and villages in the Shire includeLockhart(950 people),The Rock(860),Yerong Creek(145),Pleasant Hills(130) andMilbrulong(35). It has 1302 rural residents.

Galore Hill Scenic Reserveis located approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north ofLockhart.

Demographics

Selected historical census data for Lockhart Shire local government area
Census year			2001	2006	2011	2016
Population		Estimated residents oncensus night	3,391	3,180	2,998	3,119
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales			121st	119th
		% of New South Wales population	0.05%	0.05%	0.04%	0.04%
		% of Australian population	0.02%	0.02%	0.01%	0.01%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			34.6%	33.5%
		English			29.6%	27.6%
		Irish			10.4%	10.5%
		Scottish			9.2%	8.4%
		German			7.1%	6.1%
Language, top responses (other thanEnglish)		Cantonese	0.1%	0.2%	n/c	0.3%
		Vietnamese	n/c	n/c	n/c	0.2%
		French	0.1%	n/c	0.2%	0.2%
		Japanese	n/c	n/c	n/c	0.1%
		German	0.1%	0.2%	0.2%	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religiousaffiliation, top responses		Catholic	26.6%	29.9%	30.4%	29.3%
		No Religion,so described	n/c	7.3%	9.5%	17.3%
		Anglican	22.9%	22.0%	20.6%	16.8%
		Not stated	n/c	n/c	n/c	11.2%
		Uniting Church	15.3%	14.7%	12.2%	10.2%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$393	A$456	A$585
		% of Australian median income		84.3%	79.0%	88.4%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$1,034	A$1,069	A$1,408
		% of Australian median income		88.3%	72.2%	81.2%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$777	A$868	A$1,114
		% of Australian median income		75.7%	70.3%	77.5%

Proposed amalgamation

A2015 review of local government boundariesby theNSW GovernmentIndependent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunalrecommended that the Lockhart Shire merge with theCorowaandUranashires to form a new council with an area of 8,581 square kilometres (3,313 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 16,000.In May 2016 theMinister for Local Governmentannounced that following an independent review of merger proposals, the Government decided that the Corowa and Urana shire councils merge to form theFederation Council;while the Lockhart Shire would not amalgamate.

Heritage listings

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

• Chinese Crossing
• The Rock railway station

Council

Current composition and election method

Lockhart Shire Council is composed of ninecouncillorselectedproportionallyas three separatewards,each electing three councillors. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent election was held on 10 September 2016. However, in C Ward there was an equal number of candidates, being those below, that nominated for election. There being no additional candidates, the election for C Ward was uncontested.An election was held for A and B Wards. The makeup of the council is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Independentsand Unaligned	9
	Total	9

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

Ward	Councillor		Party	Notes
A Ward		Rodger Schirmer	Unaligned	Mayor
		Max Day	Unaligned
		Andrew Rockliff	Unaligned
B Ward		Derek Douglas	Unaligned
		Peter Sharp	Unaligned
		James Walker	Unaligned
C Ward		Gail Driscoll	Independent
		Ian Marston	Independent
		Greg Verdon	Unaligned	Deputy Mayor

See also

• Riverina Water County Council