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Liverpool Plains Shire

Coordinates: 31°29′S 150°41′E / 31.483°S 150.683°E / -31.483; 150.683
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Liverpool Plains Shire
New South Wales
Council chambers in Quirindi
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates31°29′S 150°41′E / 31.483°S 150.683°E / -31.483; 150.683
Population7,551 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density1.48/km2 (3.8/sq mi)
Established2004
Area5,086 km2 (1,963.7 sq mi)
MayorVacant
Council seatQuirindi
RegionNorth West Slopes
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)New England
WebsiteLiverpool Plains Shire
LGAs around Liverpool Plains Shire:
Gunnedah Gunnedah Tamworth Regional
Warrumbungle Liverpool Plains Shire Tamworth Regional
Warrumbungle Upper Hunter Upper Hunter

Liverpool Plains Shire is a local government area located in the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was formed on 17 March 2004 by the amalgamation of Quirindi Shire with parts of Parry, Murrurundi and Gunnedah shires.

Main towns

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The main town and council seat is located in Quirindi. Other towns and villages in the Shire include Ardglen, Blackville, Caroona, Currabubula, Parraweena, Premer, Spring Ridge, Wallabadah, Werris Creek, and Willow Tree.

Heritage listings

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The Liverpool Plains Shire has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Demographics

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At the 2011 census, there were 7,480 people in the Liverpool Plains Shire local government area, of these 50.4 per cent were male and 49.6 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 10.9 per cent of the population, which was three times higher than the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the Liverpool Plains Shire was 44 years, which was significantly higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 19.5 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 20.2 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 50.8 per cent were married and 12.1 per cent were either divorced or separated.[6]

Population growth in the Liverpool Plains Shire between the 2006 census and the 2011 census was −0.80 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same period, being 8.32 per cent, population growth in the Liverpool Plains Shire local government area was significantly lower than the national average.[7] The median weekly income for residents within the Liverpool Plains Shire was significantly lower than the national average.[6]

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Liverpool Plains Shire local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 88 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 75% of all residents in the Liverpool Plains Shire nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was much higher than the national average of 50.2 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Liverpool Plains Shire local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (2.1 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (94.5 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).[6]

Selected historical census data for the Liverpool Plains Shire local government area
Census year 2001 2006[7] 2011[6] 2021[8]
Population Estimated residents on Census night n/a 7,540 7,480 7,551
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales
% of New South Wales population 0.11%
% of Australian population n/a 0.04% Decrease 0.03%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses
Australian 38.4% Increase42.9%
English 30.6% Increase39.4%
Australian Aboriginal 13.6%
Irish 8.8% Increase10.1%
Scottish 7.5% Increase9.9%
German 2.8%
Language,
top responses
(other than English)
Italian nom Increase 0.1%
Cantonese 0.3% Decrease 0.1%
Vietnamese n/c Increase 0.1%
German n/c Increase 0.1%
Afrikaans n/c Increase 0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses
Anglican 42.7% Decrease 42.5% Decrease29.1%
Catholic 23.9% Steady 23.9% Decrease19.9%
No Religion 8.4% Increase 11.8% Increase27.0%
Uniting Church 6.3% Decrease 5.8% Decrease3.6%
Presbyterian and Reformed 3.6% Steady 3.6%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income Median weekly personal income A$438 A$433 A$620
% of Australian median income 94.0% Decrease75.0% Increase77.0%
Family income Median weekly family income A$1,090 A$988 A$1,479
% of Australian median income 93.1% Increase 66.7% Increase69.76%
Household income Median weekly household income A$882 A$797 A$1,165
% of Australian median income 85.9% Increase 64.6% Increase66.72%

Council

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Current composition and election method

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Liverpool Plains Shire Council is composed of seven councillors elected proportionally as a single ward. 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 current Council, which was elected on 14 September 2024, comprises:

Party Councillors
  Independents 7
Total 7
Councillor Party Notes
  Charile Simkin Independent
  Shawn Cain Independent
  Ken Cudmore Independent
  Terry Cohen Independent
  James Robertson Independent
  Donna Lawson Independent
  Jason Allan Independent

Election results

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2024

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2024 New South Wales local elections: Liverpool Plains[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Shawn Cain (elected) 1,239 26.9
Independent Charlie Simkin (elected) 577 12.5
Independent Kenneth Cudmore (elected) 506 11.0 −1.0
Independent Terry Cohen (elected) 386 8.4 −4.5
Independent National Doug Hawkins 333 7.2 −6.9
Independent Jason Allan (elected) 326 7.1 −7.9
Independent James Robertson (elected) 312 6.8 +3.8
Independent Donna Lawson (elected) 304 6.6 −15.2
Independent Lynn Eykamp 230 5.0
Independent Ebonie Sadler-Small 150 3.3
Independent Theodore Maczi 115 2.5
Independent Yvonne Wynne 136 3.0 −1.0
Total formal votes 4,614 94.2
Informal votes 284 5.8
Turnout 4,898 82.7

2021

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2021 New South Wales local elections: Liverpool Plains[10][11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Donna Lawson (elected) 973 21.8
Independent Jason Allan (elected) 668 15.0
Independent National Doug Hawkins (elected) 629 14.1
Independent Terry Cohen (elected) 577 12.9
Independent Ken Cudmore (elected) 537 12.0
Independent Paul Moules (elected) 273 6.1
Independent Ian Lobsey 235 5.3
Independent Yvonne Wynne (elected) 178 4.0
Independent Anthony Jackson 171 3.8
Independent James Robertson 135 3.0
Independent Mark Guthrie 84 1.9
Total formal votes 4,460 94.6
Informal votes 256 5.4
Turnout 4,716 82.6

Geography

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The Liverpool Plains have a generally flat to undulating terrain formed from the remnants of old volcanoes such as that of the Liverpool Ranges to the southwest. To the south and east, it merges into the higher and cooler Northern Tablelands.

The Liverpool Plains is generally regarded as the richest agricultural region in Australia owing to its rich black soils, which originally supported a mixed grassland vegetation containing both annual and perennial grasses, which early in the region's history were used to feed cattle and sheep.

Wheat and cotton are the chief crops, although production fluctuates wildly according to rainfall and soil erosion is a major problem occurring both after droughts and floods. The climate is hot in summer, mild in winter, and of moderate rainfall. The average is generally around 635 millimetres (25.0 in) with a slight summer maximum, but is quite erratic and can vary from 1,150 millimetres (45 in) in very wet years to as little as 370 millimetres (15 in). Temperatures in summer frequently exceed 35 °C (95 °F) and make cropping without irrigation risky without sophisticated meteorological forecasting techniques.

References

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  1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Liverpool Plains (A)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 22 September 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "Windy Station Woolshed". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01963. Retrieved 18 February 2020. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
  3. ^ "Quirindi Railway Station group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01227. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
  4. ^ "East Warrah Woolshed". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01962. Retrieved 18 February 2020. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
  5. ^ "Werris Creek Railway Station, yard group and movable relics". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Department of Planning & Environment. H01285. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC-BY 4.0 licence.
  6. ^ a b c d Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Liverpool Plains (A)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 18 January 2015. Edit this at Wikidata
  7. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Liverpool Plains (A)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  8. ^ "2021 Liverpool Plains, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics". www.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  9. ^ "DOUG HAWKINS". New South Wales Electoral Commission. 16 August 2024. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Liverpool Plains". ABC News. 4 December 2021. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  11. ^ "DOUG HAWKINS". New South Wales Electoral Commission. 16 August 2024. Archived from the original on 6 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
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Media related to Liverpool Plains Shire at Wikimedia Commons