Shire of Northam explained
The Shire of Northam is a local government area in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, beyond the northeastern fringe of the Perth metropolitan area centred on the town of Northam itself. The Shire covers an area of 1431km2. In 2007, it merged with the Town of Northam, almost tripling its population in the process from a previous size of 3,794 (ABS 2006).
History
On 24 January 1871, the Northam Road District was constituted under the Road Boards Act 1871. On 4 November 1879, the separate Municipality of Northam was constituted to manage the town of Northam.[2] The town expanded beyond the municipal boundaries (which were set at about 51NaN1) and on 6 September 1957, the municipal boundaries were adjusted to bring all of Northam under it. The Road District lost a significant part of its population in this transfer.
On 1 July 1961, the Road District became a shire under the Local Government Act 1960, which reformed all remaining road districts into shires.
Amalgamation
In September 2006, the Shire received a report into the possibility of merging with the Town of Northam,[3] and on 31 October 2006, the Local Government Advisory Board received a proposal to that effect from both councils. Public meetings in December 2006 announced that the new council would be known as the Shire of Northam, and would come into existence on 1 July 2007, initially operated by a board of commissioners (two from each entity plus an independent chair).[4]
In January 2007, the Local Government Advisory Board officially recommended to the Minister for Local Government that the amalgamation proceed.[5] The Shire electors successfully petitioned for a referendum within their area, which was held on 28 April 2007. Prior to the election, the Shire of Northam itself took the unusual step of asking its electors not to vote, in order to deny the referendum the 50% of voters needed to constitute a valid poll under Clause 10 of Schedule 2.1 of the Local Government Act 1995.[6] With a participation rate of 23.59%, a majority of 93% voted against the proposal.[7] This 23.59% voter participation equates to 596 voters; less than the number that petitioned for the referendum in the first place.
The amalgamation proceeded as planned and the first elections for seats in the new council were held in October 2007.
Wards
The Shire has been divided into four wards.
- Town Ward (five councillors)
- Central Ward (two councillors)
- West Ward (two councillors)
- East Ward (one councillor)
Towns and localities
The towns and localities of the Shire of Northam with population and size figures based on the most recent Australian census:[8] [9]
| Locality | data-sort-type=number | Population | data-sort-type=number | Area | Map |
|---|
| | | | Id: | Q4849265 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q55807704 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q55451812 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q5124891 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q55807705 | | Zoom: | 10 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q5597469 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q24090059 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q55466837 | | Zoom: | 10 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q55448808 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q50407509 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q47947666 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q31431920 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q31432353 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q50407622 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q478147 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q21885781 | | Zoom: | 10 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q7576242 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q55448809 | | Zoom: | 10 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q55448810 | | Zoom: | 10 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
|
| | | | Id: | Q8039249 | | Zoom: | 11 | | Mapframe: | yes | | Wikidata: | yes |
| |
Population
The historic populations of the area which now forms the Shire of Northam are as follows. "Old Shire" relates to the pre-2007 boundaries.
| Year | Population |
|---|
| Combined | Town | Old Shire |
|---|
| 1911 | 5,146 | 3,361 | 1,785 |
| 1921 | 5,755 | 3,602 | 2,153 |
| 1933 | 7,019 | 4,817 | 2,202 |
| 1947 | 6,934 | 4,652 | 2,282 |
| 1954 | 10,307 | 5,725 | 4,582 |
| 1961 | 9,993 | 7,200 | 2,793 |
| 1966 | 10,094 | 7,400 | 2,694 |
| 1971 | 9,543 | 7,117 | 2,426 |
| 1976 | 9,385 | 6,846 | 2,539 |
| 1981 | 9,533 | 6,944 | 2,589 |
| 1986 | 9,338 | 6,887 | 2,451 |
| 1991 | 9,428 | 6,549 | 2,879 |
| 1996 | 9,485 | 6,285 | 3,200 |
| 2001 | 9,702 | 6,137 | 3,565 |
| 2006 | 9,803 | 6,009 | 3,794 | |
Heritage-listed places
See main article: List of State Register of Heritage Places in the Shire of Northam. As of 2023, 166 places are heritage-listed in the Shire of Northam,[10] of which 40 are on the State Register of Heritage Places.[11]
See also
Notes
- A search for Northam LGA returns 392 hits, of which 221 are for the Northampton LGA, 166 are for Northam LGA while five are multi-region entries
- A search for Northam LGA returns 70 hits, of which 30 are for the Northampton LGA and 40 for Northam LGA
Notes and References
- Web site: 2023 Ordinary Election - Northam . 2023 . www.elections.wa.gov.au . . 6 November 2023 .
- Web site: Municipality Boundary Amendments Register . Western Australian Electoral Distribution Commission . 11 January 2020.
- Web site: Shire and Town of Northam Merger Study Report . https://web.archive.org/web/20061011184146/http://www.northamshire.wa.gov.au/Shire%20of%20Northam_Town%20of%20Northam_Final_Merger%20Study%20Report_Sept%202006%20doc.pdf . 2006-10-11 . Kelly LG Services . September 2006 . 2006-11-04 . dead . - commissioned by Department of Local Government and Regional Development.
- Web site: Proposal to Amalgamate the Shire of Northam and the Town of Northam - Information Paper. Local Government Advisory Board. November 2006. 2006-11-15.
- Web site: Proposal to Amalgamate the Shire of Northam and the Town of Northam. Local Government Advisory Board. March 2007. 2007-04-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20060613051458/http://www.dlgrd.wa.gov.au/localGovt/advisoryBoard/CurrentInquiries.asp#Northam. 2006-06-13. dead.
- Web site: Please Abstain From Voting . https://web.archive.org/web/20070927021628/http://www.northamshire.wa.gov.au/Merger-abstain%20from%20vote.pdf . 27 September 2007 . Llewellyn . Cr A W . 18 April 2007 . 2007-05-01 . dead .
- News: Northam Shire of - Voting In Person Referendum . 28 April 2007 . Western Australian Electoral Commission . 2007-05-01 . https://archive.today/20070928100153/http://www.waec.wa.gov.au/local/wards.asp?agencyid=81&electionid=244 . 2007-09-28 . dead .
- Web site: SLIP Map . . maps.slip.wa.gov.au . . 13 February 2023 .
- Web site: NationalMap . . nationalmap.gov.au . . 13 February 2023 .
- Web site: Shire of Northam Heritage Places. . inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au . Heritage Council of Western Australia . 25 February 2023.
- Web site: Shire of Northam State Register of Heritage Places. . inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au . Heritage Council of Western Australia . 25 February 2023.
