Balranald Shire

Balranald Shire is a local government area in the Riverina area of western New South Wales, Australia on the Sturt Highway. It is the location of World Heritage listed Mungo National Park. It includes the towns of Balranald and Euston. Other localities in the Shire include Kyalite, Hatfield, Penarie, Clare and Oxley.

Balranald Shire New South Wales
location in New South Wales
Coordinates	34°37′S 143°34′E
Population	2,208 (2021 census)[1]
• Density	0.101784/km2 (0.26362/sq mi)
Area	21,693 km2 (8,375.7 sq mi)
Administrator	Michael Colreavy
Council seat	Balranald
Region	Riverina
State electorate(s)	Murray
Federal division(s)	Farrer
Website	Balranald Shire
LGAs around Balranald Shire: Wentworth Central Darling Carrathool Wentworth Balranald Shire Hay Mildura (Vic) Swan Hill (Vic) Murray River

As of 29 January 2020, the Balranald Shire Council Mayor and elected members were dismissed by NSW local government minister Shelley Hancock, after the recommendations of the report of commissioner Roslyn McCulloch. Mike Colreavy has been appointed the administrator until local council elections in 2024.^[2]

Demographics

Selected historical census data for Balranald Shire local government area
Census year			2011[3]	2016[4]
Population		Estimated residents on census night	2,283	2,287
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales	127th	126th
		% of New South Wales population	0.03%	0.03%
		% of Australian population	0.01%	0.01%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian	32.3%	31.6%
		English	24.9%	25.1%
		Irish	8.9%	10.1%
		Italian	10.3%	9.0%
		Scottish	5.7%	5.9%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Italian	4.4%	3.0%
		Fijian	n/c	0.6%
		Mandarin	0.3%	0.5%
		Tongan	0.6%	0.4%
		Arabic	0.4%	0.4%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic	39.3%	35.7%
		No religion	13.6%	20.8%
		Anglican	16.5%	15.0%
		Not stated	n/c	12.7%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	8.6%	6.9%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income	A$470	A$624
		% of Australian median income	81.5%	94.3%
Family income		Median weekly family income	A$1126	A$1438
		% of Australian median income	76.0%	82.9%
Household income		Median weekly household income	A$894	A$1174
		% of Australian median income	72.4%	81.6%

Council

Current composition and election method

The Balranald Shire Council is currently under administration, as of 29 January 2020, after local government minister Shelley Hancock accepted the recommendations of the report created by commissioner Roslyn McCulloch. The next election will be held in September 2024.^[2]

Election results

2024

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2024 New South Wales local elections in Murray and Far West § Balranald results.[edit]

2024 New South Wales local elections: Balranald

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Dwaine Scott (elected)	243	23.5
	Independent	Luigi (Louie) Zaffina (elected)	241	23.3
	Independent	Tracy O'Halloran (elected)	88	8.5
	Independent	Philip Pippin (elected)	80	7.7
	Independent	Alison Linnett (elected)	78	7.5
	Independent	German Ugarte (elected)	73	7.1
	Independent	Iain Lindsay Field (elected)	72	7.0
	Independent	Patricia Winch	38	3.7
	Independent	Morgan Rasmus	36	3.5
	Independent	Leigh Byron (elected)	32	3.1
	Independent	Lynda Moss	24	2.3
	Independent	Ronald Mengler	22	2.1
	Independent	Brodie Rayner	7	0.7
Total formal votes			1,034	97.9
Informal votes			22	2.1
Turnout			1056	76.7

2012

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2012 New South Wales local elections § Balranald.[edit]

2012 New South Wales local elections: Balranald^[5][6][7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Stephen O'Halloran (elected)	419	35.8	−2.6
	Independent	Leigh Byron (elected)	176	15.0	+3.3
	Independent	Trevor Jolliffe (elected)	129	11.0	+11.0
	Independent Labor	Alan Purtill (elected)	93	7.9	+0.2
	Independent	Lynda Cooke (elected)	83	7.1	+7.1
	Independent	Jeff Mannix (elected)	76	6.5	+3.0
	Independent	Ken Barnes (elected)	80	6.8	+2.2
	Independent	Elaine Campbell (elected)	50	4.3	+4.3
	Independent	John Jackson	27	2.3	+2.3
	Independent	Tina Powis	26	2.2	−3.1
	Independent	Bill Vaarzon-Morel	12	1.0	+1.0
Turnout				79.6
Party total votes
	Independent		1,078	92.1
	Independent Labor		93	7.9

Localities

Town	Population
Balranald	1,343
Clare
Condoulpe
Euston	839
Hatfield	11
Kyalite	82
Oxley	33
Penarie

Condoulpe (34°46′S 143°32′E) is situated about 15 kilometres south of Balranald and 21 kilometres north of Kyalite.^[8]