Singleton Council

Singleton Council is a local government area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is situated adjacent to the New England Highway and the Hunter railway line.

Singleton Council New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	32°34′S 151°10′E
Population	22,987 (2016 census)[1] 23,422 (2018 est.)[2]
• Density	4.6979/km^2 (12.1676/sq mi)
Established	1 January 1976
Area	4,893 km^2 (1,889.2 sq mi)[3]
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Mayor	Cr Sue Moore[4]
Council seat	Singleton[5]
Region	Hunter[6]
State electorate(s)	Upper Hunter[7] Cessnock[8]
Federal Division(s)	Hunter[9]
Website	Singleton Council
LGAs around Singleton Council: Muswellbrook Upper Hunter Dungog Muswellbrook Singleton Council Maitland Mid-Western Hawkesbury Cessnock

The mayor of the Council is Cr. Sue Moore, an independent politician.[4]

Singleton Shire was established on 1 January 1976 with the amalgamation of Patrick Plains Shire and the Municipality of Singleton.[10]

History

Aboriginal History

Singleton and the surrounding area was originally occupied by The Wonnarua / Wanaruah people and they are the traditional land owners of the Singleton area. [11]

Early History

The town is named after Ben Singleton who explored the area in 1820's . In 1821 he started to occupy the land. In 1823 he started an agistment business on the Hunter River and started a flour mill in 1827.In 1829 the town expanded to a post office and an inn.[12]

Main towns and villages

The Council area includes Singleton, Broke, Bulga, Howes Valley, Putty, Warkworth, Jerrys Plains, Camberwell, Ravensworth, Mount Olive, Carrowbrook, Mirranie, Elderslie, Belford and Branxton.

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 22,694 people in the Singleton Council local government area, of these 51.3 per cent were male and 48.7 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.7 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 Singleton Council area was 35 years, which was slightly lower than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 22.2 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 10.4 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 51.5 per cent were married and 10.5 per cent were either divorced or separated.[3]

Singleton Council boundary, at the western end of the Hunter Expressway near Black Creek

Population growth in the Singleton Council area between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 8.12 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 3.45 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 Singleton Council local government area was slightly lower than the national average.[13][14] The median weekly income for residents within the Singleton Council area was marginally higher than the national average.[3]

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Singleton Council local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Celtic exceeded 83 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 69% of all residents in the Singleton Council area 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 Singleton Council local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (4.0 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (93.5 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).[3]

Selected historical census data for the Singleton Council local government area
Census year			2001[13]	2006[14]	2011[3]
Population		Estimated residents on Census night	20,290	21,937	22,694
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales
		% of New South Wales population			0.33%
		% of Australian population	0.11%	0.11%	0.11%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			36.8%
		English			31.5%
		Irish			7.8%
		Scottish			7.3%
		German			3.6%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Afrikaans	n/c	0.1%	0.4%
		German	0.1%	0.2%	0.2%
		Italian	n/c	n/c	0.1%
		Filipino	0.1%	n/c	0.1%
		Cantonese	n/c	0.2%	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Anglican	38.6%	36.4%	34.6%
		Catholic	26.3%	26.2%	26.2%
		No Religion	9.2%	11.4%	15.5%
		Uniting Church	7.5%	7.0%	6.2%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	3.2%	2.9%	2.8%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$487	A$640
		% of Australian median income		104.5%	110.9%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$1,458	A$1,927
		% of Australian median income		124.5%	130.1%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$1,258	A$1,692
		% of Australian median income		122.5%	137.1%

Council

Current composition and election method

Singleton 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 one entire ward. The most recent election was held on 10 September 2016, and the makeup of the Council, including the mayor, is as follows:[4][15]

Party		Councillors
	Independents and Unaligned	9
	Australian Labor Party	1
	Total	10

The current Council, elected in 2016, in order of election by ward, is:[15]

Councillor		Party	Notes
	Sue Moore	Independent	Mayor[4]
	Danny Thompson	Independent
	Tony Jarrett	Labor Party
	Tony McNamara	Independent
	John Martin	Unaligned
	Val Scott	Unaligned
	Godfrey Adamthwaite	Independent
	Sue George	Independent
	Sarah Lukeman	Independent
	Hollee Jenkins	Independent

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Singleton (A)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
2. "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019. Estimated resident population (ERP) at 30 June 2018.
3. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Singleton (Local Government Area)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
4. "Singleton Council – Mayoral Election". Local Government Elections 2016. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
5. "Council Search – Singleton Council". New South Wales Division of Local Government. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
6. "Suburb Search – Local Council Boundaries – Hunter (HT) – Singleton Council". New South Wales Division of Local Government. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
7. "Upper Hunter". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
8. "Cessnock". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
9. "Hunter". Australian Electoral Commission. 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
10. "Local Government Act 1919. Proclamation (147)". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 14 November 1975. p. 4711. Retrieved 10 January 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
11. "Singleton Council - Aboriginal History". Retrieved 18 September 2020.
12. "Singleton, NSW". Aussie Towns. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
13. Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Singleton (A)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
14. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Singleton (A)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
15. "Singleton Council: Summary of First Preference Votes for each Candidate". Local Government Elections 2012. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.