Great Lakes Council

Great Lakes Council was a local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is situated adjacent to the shores of Port Stephens, Myall Lakes and Wallis Lake and the Pacific Highway and the Lakes Way. On 12 May 2016 the Council was dissolved and the area included in the Mid-Coast Council, along with City of Greater Taree and Gloucester Shire.[8]

This article is about the Australian former local government area. For the local council of the Boy Scouts of America, see Great Lakes Field Service Council.

Great Lakes Council
New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates32°13′S 152°32′E
Population34,430 (2011 census)[1]
 • Density10.1985/km2 (26.414/sq mi)
Abolished12 May 2016 (2016-05-12)
Area3,376 km2 (1,303.5 sq mi)
Time zoneAEST (UTC+10)
 • Summer (DST)AEDT (UTC+11)
MayorJan McWilliams[2]
Council seatForster
RegionHunter[3]
State electorate(s)
Federal Division(s)Paterson[7]
WebsiteGreat Lakes Council
LGAs around Great Lakes Council:
Gloucester Greater Taree Greater Taree
Dungog Great Lakes Council Tasman Sea
Port Stephens Port Stephens Tasman Sea

The Great Lakes area is home to the globally significant, Ramsar Convention listed Myall Lakes wetlands. These wetlands are an important foundation for the economies of the former suburbs of the Great Lakes Council local government area, particularly the recreational fisheries and tourism sectors.

Amalgamation

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended the merger of a number of adjoining councils. In the initial proposal, the Great Lakes Council was not included in any amalgamation proposals. However, Gloucester Shire Council submitted an alternate proposal to amalgamate the Gloucester, Great Lakes and Greater Taree councils.[9] The outcome of an independent review was completed by May 2016, when the Council was dissolved.

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 34,430 people in the Great Lakes Council local government area, of these 49.0 per cent were male and 51.0 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.8 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 Great Lakes Council area was 52 years, significantly higher than the national median of 37 years; and the highest median of any local government area in New South Wales. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 15.4 per cent of the population; and people aged 65 years and over made up 30.6 per cent of the population, with the latter significantly influencing the median age. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 52.4 per cent were married and 15.0 per cent were either divorced or separated.[1]

Population growth in the Great Lakes Council between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 4.00 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 5.08 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 Great Lakes Council local government area was significantly lower than the national average.[10][11] The median weekly income for residents within the Great Lakes Council area was nearly half the national average.[1]

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Great Lakes Council local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 82 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 66% of all residents in the Great Lakes 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 Great Lakes Council local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (3.6 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (92.6 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).[1]

Selected historical census data for the Great Lakes Council local government area
Census year2001[10]2006[11]2011[1]
PopulationEstimated residents on Census night31,26632,76634,430
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales
% of New South Wales population0.50%
% of Australian population0.17% 0.17% 0.16%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses		English34.2%
Australian32.5%
Irish8.6%
Scottish7.6%
German2.7%
Language,
top responses
(other than English)		German0.1% 0.3% 0.4%
Italian0.2% 0.2% 0.3%
Cantonese0.2% 0.1% 0.1%
Dutch0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
French0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses		Anglican38.1% 35.8% 34.0%
Catholic22.1% 22.4% 22.3%
No Religion11.3% 13.9% 16.8%
Uniting Church7.4% 6.6% 6.0%
Presbyterian and Reformed4.5% 4.1% 3.9%
Median weekly incomes
Personal incomeMedian weekly personal incomeA$338A$395
% of Australian median income72.5% 68.5%
Family incomeMedian weekly family incomeA$747A$881
% of Australian median income63.8% 59.5%
Household incomeMedian weekly household incomeA$611A$729
% of Australian median income59.5% 59.1%

Council

Former composition and election method

At the time of its dissolution, the Great Lakes Council was composed of nine Councillors elected proportionally as a single ward. All Councillors were elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor was elected by the Councillors at the first meeting of the Council. The most recent and last election was held on 8 September 2012 and the makeup of the Council was as follows:[12]

PartyCouncillors
  Independents and Unaligned 8
  Labor Party 1
Total 9

The last Council, elected in 2012 and dissolved in 2016, in order of election, was:[12]

CouncillorPartyNotes
  Jan McWilliams Independent Mayor
  Len Roberts Unaligned
  Karen Hutchinson Independent Elected on Jan McWilliams's ticket
  Tony Summers Independent
  Linda Gill Independent
  John Weate Country Labor
  Leigh Vaughan Unaligned
  Jim Morwitch Independent
  Carol McCaskie Unaligned Elected on Len Roberts's ticket

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Great Lakes (Local Government Area)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  2. "Council Search - Great Lakes Council". New South Wales Division of Local Government. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  3. "Suburb Search - Local Council Boundaries - Hunter (HT) - Great Lakes Council". New South Wales Division of Local Government. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  4. "Myall Lakes". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  5. "Upper Hunter". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  6. "Port Stephens". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  7. "Paterson". Australian Electoral Commission. 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 29 October 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  8. "Mid-Coast Council". Stronger Councils. Government of New South Wales. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  9. Toole, Paul (March 2016). "Dungog and Maitland councils Proposal" (PDF). Minister for Local Government. Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  10. Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). "Great Lakes (A)". 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  11. Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Great Lakes (A)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  12. "Great Lakes Council: Summary of First Preference and Group Votes for each Candidate". Local Government Elections 2012. Electoral Commission of New South Wales. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
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