Port Macquarie-Hastings Council

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is a local government area in the mid north coast region of New South Wales, Australia.

This article is about the local government area. For the regional town, see Port Macquarie.

Port Macquarie-Hastings
New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates31°26′S 152°54′E
Population
 • Density21.3068/km2 (55.1844/sq mi)
Established
  • 1 January 1981
    (Municipality of Hastings)
  • 13 July 2005
    (Port Macquarie-Hastings Council)
Area3,686.1 km2 (1,423.2 sq mi)
MayorPeta Pinson
Council seatPort Macquarie
RegionMid North Coast
State electorate(s)
Federal Division(s)
WebsitePort Macquarie-Hastings
LGAs around Port Macquarie-Hastings:
Walcha Kempsey Tasman Sea
Walcha Port Macquarie-Hastings Tasman Sea
Mid-Coast Mid-Coast Tasman Sea

The area is located adjacent to the Hastings River, the Pacific Highway, the Oxley Highway and the North Coast railway line. Major population centres in the local government area are Port Macquarie, Camden Haven, Wauchope, Lake Cathie and Kendall.

The mayor of the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council since 4 August 2017 is Cr. Peta Pinson, an independent politician.

Towns and localities

Towns and localities in the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council are:[3]

Demographics

At the 2011 Census, there were 72,696 people in the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area, of these 48.1% were male and 51.9% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.3% of the population, slightly higher than the national average. The median age of people in the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area was 47 years; some ten years higher than the national median. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 17.8% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 24.7% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 52.4% were married and 14.7% were either divorced or separated.[4]

Population growth in the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area between the 2001 Census and the 2006 Census was 6.68%; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 Census was 6.23%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area was generally on par with the national average.[5] The median weekly income for residents within the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area was slightly below the national average.[4][6]

At the 2011 Census, the proportion of residents in the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Celtic exceeded 83% of all residents (national average was 65.2%). In excess of 64% of all residents in the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 Census, which was higher than the national average of 50.2%. Meanwhile, as at the Census date, compared to the national average, households in the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (3.6%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4%); and a significantly higher proportion (93.7%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).[4]

Selected historical census data for Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area
Census year2001[5]2006[6]2011[4]2016[1]
PopulationEstimated residents on census night64,14668,43072,69678,539
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales29th
% of New South Wales population1.05%
% of Australian population0.34% 0.34% 0.34%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses		English33.4%
Australian32.8%
Irish9.5%
Scottish7.7%
German2.8%
Language,
top responses
(other than English)		German0.3% 0.3% 0.3%
Italian0.2% 0.2% 0.2%
Dutch0.2% 0.2% 0.2%
French0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
Spanishn/cn/c 0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses		Anglican33.1% 31.3% 29.4%
Catholic24.2% 24.2% 24.7%
No religion11.5% 14.5% 18.1%
Uniting Church8.4% 7.2% 6.0%
Presbyterian and Reformed5.6% 4.9% 4.5%
Median weekly incomes
Personal incomeMedian weekly personal incomeA$361A$447
% of Australian median income77.5%77.5%
Family incomeMedian weekly family incomeA$679A$1,008
% of Australian median income66.1%68.1%
Household incomeMedian weekly household incomeA$891A$837
% of Australian median income76.1%67.8%

Council
See also: List of officeholders of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council

Current composition and election methods

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is composed of nine councillors, including the mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is directly elected while the eight other councillors are elected proportionally as one entire ward. The most recent election was held on 10 September 2016, and the makeup of the council is as follows:[7][8]

On 8 May 2017, the elected mayor since 2012, Peter Besseling, resigned effective immediately to take up an executive business position. Deputy Mayor Lisa Intemann served as acting mayor until a by-election was held for the mayoral position on 29 July 2017.[9][10] On 4 August 2017, the final results were declared and Peta Pinson became mayor.[11][12]

PartyCouncillors
  Independents and unaligned 8
  Country Labor 1
Total 9 (including mayor)

The current council, elected in 2016, in order of election, is:[8]

CouncillorPartyNotes
  Peta Pinson Independent Mayor; elected at by-election on 29 July 2017. Councillor 2016–2017.
  Robert Turner Independent Elected 2012 on Besseling's ticket.
  Michael Cusato Independent Elected 2012.
  Sharon Griffiths Independent Elected 2012.
  Peter Alley Country Labor Elected 2016.
  Justin Levido Independent Elected 2012 on Besseling's ticket. Deputy Mayor 2014–2015
  Geoff Hawkins Independent Elected 2012 of Besseling's ticket
  Lisa Intemann Unaligned Elected 2012, 1995–2008. Deputy Mayor 2015–date (acting Mayor May–August 2017)
  Lee Dixon Independent Elected 2016.

History

Local government in the Hastings region started with the passage of the District Councils Act 1842, which allowed for limited local government in the form of a warden and between 3 and 12 councillors to be appointed by the Governor. Between July and September 1843, 28 such entities had been proclaimed by Governor George Gipps. The Macquarie District Council, the 8th to be declared, was proclaimed on 12 August 1843, with a population of 2,409 and an area of 10,174 square kilometres (3,928 sq mi).[13]:208–209 Due to various factors, the district councils were ineffective, and most had ceased to operate by the end of the decade.[14]

After the enactment of the Municipalities Act of 1858,[15] which gave the councils more authority and which allowed for residents to petition for incorporation of areas and also to elect councillors, the town of Port Macquarie, population 984, petitioned to be incorporated as a municipality twice: in 1859 and again in 1867; but on both occasions, counter-petitions from other residents prevented it from being incorporated.[13]:274 Finally, on 15 March 1887, the Port Macquarie Municipal District was proclaimed, with the first elections on 25 May 1887 electing James McInherney as the first mayor.[16]

The Local Government (Shires) Act 1905 enabled the Shire of Hastings, based in the town of Wauchope, to come into being in June 1906, in time for elections in November 1906. The first Shire President was James O'Neill.[16]

In 1981, the two councils were amalgamated to form the Municipality of Hastings, with Norm Matesich becoming the council's inaugural mayor. In 1991, the council moved into its present premises in Burrawan Street, Port Macquarie. With the enactment of the Local Government Act 1993 (NSW), which changed the responsibilities of the mayor and councillors, the Hastings Council was created. In 2005, the name was changed to Port Macquarie-Hastings following a community survey, showing that many people thought that the new name would better reflect the area.[16]

Glasshouse controversy
Main article: 2008 Port Macquarie-Hastings Council dismissal

On 27 February 2008 the Minister for Local Government, Paul Lynch, dismissed the council and appointed an administrator, Dick Persson. The dismissal of council was made after alleged mishandling of a project initiated in 2001 to build a cultural and entertainment centre, known to locals as the Glasshouse.[17] The project, initially a joint venture with the management of the neighbouring shopping centre, Port Central, was initially expected to cost the Council A$7.3 million, but by late 2007, despite the centre not yet having opened, the costs had blown out to over A$41.7 million, with interest repayments likely to extend the council's liability to A$66 million. On 27 July 2007, a full public inquiry was announced by the Minister for Local Government, which reported back in February 2008.[18]

The inquiry report found that the council had failed to provide appropriate financial and project management and had lost control of the costs, that the project costs had harmed the council's ability to provide services and amenities to the community, and that the council's "communications management strategies" had resulted in inadequate consultation with the public or appropriate regard to their concerns. The outgoing mayor, Rob Drew, was critical of the process throughout, maintaining that errors had been made and misinformation had been accepted as fact; however, the New South Wales Urban Task Force, a property development lobby group, believed the dismissal served as a warning to other councils to stick to "core responsibilities". In 2009 it was revealed that the Glasshouse would cost ratepayers around A$6 million a year to run.[19]

See also

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Port Macquarie-Hastings (A)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  2. "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019. Estimated resident population (ERP) at 30 June 2018.
  3. "Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area". Archived from the original on 9 December 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  4. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Port Macquarie-Hastings (A)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  5. Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Hastings (A)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  6. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Hastings (A)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  7. "Port Macquarie-Hastings Council – Mayoral Election". Local Government Election 2016. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 20 September 2016. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  8. "Port Macquarie-Hastings Council – Summary of First Preference Votes for each Candidate". Local Government Election 2012. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 16 September 2012. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  9. Daniels, Peter (8 May 2017). "Peter Besseling resigns as mayor | video". Port Macquarie News. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  10. "Mayoral by-election set for Saturday 29 July" (Press release). Port Macquarie-Hastings Council. 17 May 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  11. Daniels, Peter (4 August 2017). "It's official: Peta Pinson declared our new mayor". Port Macquarie News. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  12. Tisdell, Lisa (2 August 2017). "Mayoral by-election 2017: Peta Pinson is mayor-elect". Port Macquarie News. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  13. Larcombe, F. A. (Frederick) (1973). The Origin of Local Government in New South Wales 1831–58. Sydney University Press. ISBN 978-0-424-06610-3. See also Historical Records of Australia, Series I, volume xvii, Introduction, p.12.
  14. Merivale, Herman (1928) [1861]. Lectures on Colonization and the Colonies. Oxford University Press. pp. 651–653.
  15. 22 Vic No. 13 (Imp), assented 27 October 1858
  16. "History of the Council". Port Macquarie-Hastings Council. 28 February 2008. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  17. "Council sacked over cost blow-out". ABC News. Australia. 27 February 2008. Archived from the original on 1 March 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
  18. Willan, Frank. Port Macquarie-Hastings Council – Public Inquiry – Inquiry Report Volume 1. Government of New South Wales. ISBN 978-1-920766-69-6.
  19. "Task force says council sacking a warning to others". ABC News. Australia. 6 March 2008. Retrieved 12 April 2008.
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