| Type: | lga |
| Bathurst Regional Council | |
| State: | nsw |
| Pop2: | 43,206 |
| Pop2 Year: | 2018 est. |
| Pop2 Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area: | 3820 |
| Est: | 26 May 2004 |
| Coordinates: | -33.4167°N 183°W |
| Seat: | Bathurst |
| Mayor: | Dr Jess Jennings |
| Logo Upright: | 1.2 |
| Url: | http://www.bathurst.nsw.gov.au |
| Stategov: | Bathurst |
| Near-Nw: | Cabonne |
| Near-N: | Mid-Western |
| Near-Ne: | Mid-Western |
| Near-E: | Lithgow |
| Near-Sw: | Blayney |
| Near-S: | Upper Lachlan |
| Near-Se: | Oberon |
Bathurst Regional Council is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located adjacent to the Great Western Highway, Mid-Western Highway, Mitchell Highway and the Main Western railway line. At the, the Bathurst Region had a population of .
The administrative centre of the area is located in the city of Bathurst, approximately west of Sydney.
The mayor of Bathurst is Cr. Dr Jess Jennings, Deputy Mayor being Cr. Benjamin Fry, both unaligned politicians.[2]
In addition to the city of Bathurst, the LGA contains the villages of Eglinton, Freemantle, Perthville, Rockley, Raglan, Georges Plains, Trunkey Creek, Brewongle, Vittoria, Peel, Wattle Flat, Sofala, Hill End, Meadow Flat, Sallys Flat, Caloola and Kelso
| Selected historical census data for Bathurst Regional local government area | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census year | 2011 | 2016 | 2021 | |||
| Population | ||||||
| 52 | 51 | |||||
| % of New South Wales population | 0.56% | 0.55% | 0.53% | |||
| % of Australian population | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.17% | |||
| Estimated ATSI population on census night | ||||||
| % of ATSI population to residents | 4.20% | 5.40% | 7.2% | |||
| Cultural and language diversity | ||||||
| Ancestry, top responses | Australian | 32.9% | 31.5% | 42.1% | ||
| English | 30.1% | 29.5% | 40.9% | |||
| Irish | 10.9% | 11.1% | 14.3% | |||
| Scottish | 7.3% | 7.5% | 10.6% | |||
| German | 2.6% | 2.6% | ||||
| Australian Aboriginal | 6.4% | |||||
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Mandarin | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.2% | ||
| Arabic | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | |||
| Cantonese | 0.2% | 0.2% | ||||
| Punjabi | n/a | 0.2% | 0.4% | |||
| German | 0.2% | 0.2% | ||||
| Nepali | 0.4% | |||||
| Tagalog | 0.3% | |||||
| Religious affiliation | ||||||
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 34.1% | 31.1% | 28.4% | ||
| No religion, so described | 16.0% | 22.4% | 32.4% | |||
| Anglican | 23.2% | 19.1% | 15.7% | |||
| Not stated | n/a | 11.3% | 8.0% | |||
| Presbyterian and Reformed | 4.6% | 4.2% | 3.4% | |||
| Median weekly incomes | ||||||
| Personal income | Median weekly personal income | $544 | $646 | $796 | ||
| % of Australian median income | 94.28% | 97.58% | 98.88% | |||
| Family income | Median weekly family income | $1,437 | $1,632 | $2,026 | ||
| % of Australian median income | 97.02% | 94.11% | 95.56% | |||
| Median weekly household income | $1,142 | $1,310 | $1,585 | |||
| % of Australian median income | 93% | 92.54% | 90.77% | |||
Bathurst Regional Council is composed of nine 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 most recent election of councillors was held on 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the council is as follows:[3]
| Party | Councillors | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independents | align=right | 9 | ||
| Total | align=right | 9 | ||
The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election, is:[3]
| Councillor | Party | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Fry | Balanced Bathurst[4] | Deputy Mayor | |||
| Robert 'Stumpy' Taylor | Back Bathurst[5] | Mayor 2022-2023[6] | |||
| Ian North | Independent | Mayor 2021-2021 | |||
| Marg Hogan | Marg Hogan Team[7] | ||||
| Kirralee Burke | Balanced Bathurst | ||||
| Graeme Hanger | Team Hanger[8] | Mayor 2017-2019[9] | |||
| Jess Jennings | Better Bathurst[10] | Mayor - 2023-Current | |||
| Andrew (Struthy) Smith | Back Bathurst[11] | ||||
| Warren Aubin | Team Aubin[12] | ||||
Bathurst was proclaimed a city in 1885. The Bathurst Region was created on 26 May 2004 as a result of a merger of Bathurst City and Evans Shire.
A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the Bathurst Region merge with the Oberon Shire to form a new council with an area of and support a population of approximately .[13] The outcome of an independent review was expected to be completed by mid - 2016. Bathurst Regional Council was officially notified on 6 March 2017 by the NSW State Government that the proposed merger between Bathurst Regional Council and Oberon Council will not proceed. The letter from the Minister for Local Government Gabrielle Upton advising Council of the decision can be viewed on the Bathurst Regional Council official website.
Bathurst has had a sister city relationship with Ohkuma (Japan) since March 1991.The relationship provides an opportunity for both Bathurst and Ohkuma residents to learn about each other's culture and language. As part of the relationship Council coordinates the Sister City Working Party. This group is made up of different community members who have an interest in Japan and further developing the strong relationship that already exists between Bathurst and Ohkuma. Bathurst has sister city relations with the following city:[14]
Ōkuma, Japan, since 1991