Central Darling Shire

Central Darling Shire is a local government area in the Far West region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Barrier Highway. Central Darling Shire was constituted in 1959 and at 53,511 square kilometres (20,661 sq mi), it is the largest incorporated local government area in New South Wales.

Central Darling Shire New South Wales
Shire Office Complex, Wilcannia
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	31°34′S 143°22′E
Population	1,833 (2016 census)[1] 1,837 (2018 est.)[2]
• Density	0.034255/km2 (0.088719/sq mi)
Established	20 March 1959; 66 years ago (1959-03-20)[3][4]
Area	53,511 km2 (20,660.7 sq mi)
Administrator	Robert 'Bob' Stewart
Council seat	Wilcannia
Region	Far West
State electorate(s)	Barwon
Federal division(s)	Parkes[5]
Website	Central Darling Shire
LGAs around Central Darling Shire: Unincorporated Far West Unincorporated Far West Bourke Unincorporated Far West Central Darling Shire Cobar Wentworth Balranald Carrathool

The Central Darling Shire Council has been under administration since 2014 with an Administrator taking the place of the mayor and councillors.

Main towns/villages

The Shire includes the towns of Ivanhoe, Menindee, Sunset Strip, Tilpa, Wilcannia and White Cliffs.

Demographics

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics during 2003-04 there:^[6]

• were 509 wage and salary earners (ranked 162nd in New South Wales and 525th in Australia, less than 0.1% of both New South Wales's 2,558,415 and Australia's 7,831,856)
• was a total income of $18 million (ranked 159th in New South Wales and 522nd in Australia, less than 0.1% of both New South Wales's $107 billion and Australia's $304 billion)
• was an estimated average income per wage and salary earner of $34,391 (ranked 82nd in New South Wales and 268th in Australia, 83% of New South Wales's $41,407 and 89% of Australia's $38,820)
• was an estimated median income per wage and salary earner of $31,477 (ranked 84th in New South Wales and 284th in Australia, 89% of New South Wales's $35,479 and 92% of Australia's $34,149).

Selected historical census data for Central Darling Shire local government area
Census year			2011[7]	2016[1]
Population		Estimated residents on census night	1,991	1,833
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales	128th	127th
		% of New South Wales population	0.03%
		% of Australian population	0.01%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian	32.5%	27.5%
		English	20.7%	19.6%
		Australian Aboriginal	19.1%	20.7%
		Irish	5.9%	4.7%
		Scottish	5.3%	5.4%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Paakantyi (Darling language)	0.9%
		Italian	0.3%
		Tongan	0.3%	0.6%
		German	0.2%	0.4%
		French	0.2%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic	37.9%	29.5%
		Anglican	18.8%	14.1%
		No religion	16.8%	22.3%
		Uniting Church	6.2%	4.5%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	3.6%
		Not Stated		23.3%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income	A$387	A$460
		% of Australian median income	67.1%	69.3%
Family income		Median weekly family income	A$889	A$1075
		% of Australian median income	60.0%	62.0%
Household income		Median weekly household income	A$787	A$901
		% of Australian median income	63.8%	62.7%

Council

Current composition and election method

In 2014 the council placed under administration for a period of three months. Following a public inquiry, councillors were removed from office and an administrator originally appointed for three months had his term extended and at September 2018 was still acting in this capacity. It was expected that the council be removed from administration in September 2020, however as of 2024, the council remains under administration.^[8]

Central Darling Shire Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as three separate wards, 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 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the council at the time of moving to Administration was as follows:^[9][10][11]

Party		Councillors
	Independents and Unaligned	9
	Total	9

The previous Council, elected in 2012, in order of election by ward, is:

Ward	Councillor		Party	Notes
A Ward[9]		Honor Liversidge	Independent
		Eamon Sammon	Unaligned
		Peter Sullivan	Unaligned	Deputy Mayor
B Ward[10]		Dennis Standley	Independent
		Clive Linnett OAM AFSM	Unaligned
		Ray Longfellow	Unaligned	Mayor
C Ward[11]		Lorraine Looney	Unaligned
		Garry Astill	Unaligned
		Ron Page	Unaligned

Economic activity

The principal economic activities within the Shire include pastoral, horticultural, agricultural, mining and tourism. Rural grazing properties represent the largest land use within the Shire, accounting for 97% of the entire area. Major horticultural and agricultural production is centred on Menindee. The relative ease of access to water from the Darling River and Menindee Lakes Storage Scheme enables producers to grow a large variety of crops and fruits.

Opal mining has been the predominant mining industry within the Shire. Opal was discovered in White Cliffs in 1884 and the first commercial opal field commenced operation in 1890, reaching its peak in 1899.^[12]

See also

• New South Wales portal

• List of local government areas in New South Wales