Tamworth Regional Council is a local government area in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The area under administration is located adjacent to the New England Highway and the Main North railway line. It was established in March 2004 through the amalgamation of the former City of Tamworth with surrounding shires of Barraba, Manilla, Nundle and Parry.[4]

Tamworth Regional Council New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	31°05′S 150°55′E
Population	59,663 (2016 census)[1] 62,541 (2019 est.)[2]
• Density	6.03126/km2 (15.62088/sq mi)
Established	March 2004
Area	9,892.3 km2 (3,819.4 sq mi)[3]
Mayor	Russell Webb (Independent)
Council seat	Tamworth
Region	New England
State electorate(s)	Tamworth (Kevin Anderson)
Federal division(s)	New England
Website	Tamworth Regional Council
LGAs around Tamworth Regional Council: Narrabri Gwydir Uralla Gunnedah Tamworth Regional Council Walcha Liverpool Plains Liverpool Plains Upper Hunter

The mayor of Tamworth Regional Council is Cr. Russell Webb, an independent politician.

Towns and villages

The area includes the city of Tamworth and the towns and villages of Attunga, Barraba, Bendemeer, Dungowan, Duri, Kootingal, Limbri, Manilla, Moonbi, Niangala, Nundle, Ogunbil, Somerton, Upper Manilla and Woolbrook.

Suburbs

• Calala
• Coledale
• Daruka Estate
• East Tamworth
• Forest Hills
• Hillvue
• Kingswood
• Nemingha
• North Tamworth
• Oxley Vale
• South Tamworth
• Taminda
• Tamworth
• Tamworth Central Business District
• Westdale
• West Tamworth

Heritage listings

Tamworth Region has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Kootingal, New England Highway: Moonby House[5]
• Manilla, Tamworth-Barraba railway: Manilla railway underbridges[6]
• Tamworth, Fitzroy Street: Tamworth Post Office[7]
• Tamworth, King George V Memorial Avenue (East): King George V Avenue of Memorial English Oaks[8]
• Tamworth, Main Northern railway: Tamworth railway station[9]
• Tamworth, Main Northern railway: Peel River railway bridge[10]
• Tamworth, Marius Street (East): Dominican Roman Catholic Convent[11]
• Tamworth, Peel Street (cnr): Tamworth Peel Barracks[12]

Demographics

At the 2016 census, there were 59,663 people in the Tamworth Regional local government area, of these 48.7 per cent were male and 51.3 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 10.1 per cent of the population, which was greater than three times higher than the national and average of 2.9 per cent. The median age of people in the Tamworth Regional Council was 40 years, which was marginally higher than the national median of 38 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 20.2 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 18.8 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 47.6 per cent were married and 13.2 per cent were either divorced or separated.[1]

Population growth in the Tamworth Regional Council between the 2011 census and the 2016 census was 6.0 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same period, being 8.8 per cent, population growth in the Tamworth Regional local government area was slightly lower than the national average.[1] The median weekly income for residents within the Tamworth Regional Council was significantly lower than the national average.[1]

At the 2016 census, the proportion of residents in the Tamworth Regional local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 85 per cent of all residents (national average was around 60 per cent). In excess of 70% of all residents in the Tamworth Regional Council nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2016 census, which was significantly higher than the national average of approximately 60 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Tamworth Regional local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (4.6 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 26.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (88.7 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 68.5 per cent).[1]

Selected historical census data for the Tamworth Regional local government area
Census year			2001	2006[13]	2011[14]	2016[1]
Population		Estimated residents on Census night	n/a	53,590	56,292	59,663
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales			43rd	40th
		% of New South Wales population		0.80%	0.81%	0.80%
		% of Australian population	n/a	0.27%	0.26%	0.26%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			37.5%	35.9%
		English			31.0%	30.1%
		Irish			8.5%	8.6%
		Scottish			7.3%	7.4%
		German			3.2%	3.2%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Tagalog		n/c	0.1%	0.4%
		Cantonese		0.1%	0.1%	0.2%
		Mandarin		0.1%	0.1%	0.4%
		Filipino				0.2%
		Cantonese				0.2%
		German		0.1%	0.1%
		Italian		0.1%	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Anglican		38.4%	36.2%	30.0%
		Catholic		26.5%	25.9%	24.4%
		No Religion		9.5%	12.6%	19.3%
		Uniting Church		6.3%	5.5%	4.4%
		Presbyterian and Reformed		5.3%	5.0%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$405	A$515	A$633
		% of Australian median income		86.9%	89.3%	95.3%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$1,041	A$1,181	A$1,446
		% of Australian median income		88.9%	79.7%	81.2%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$818	A$958	A$1,180
		% of Australian median income		79.6%	77.6%	79.4%

Council

Current composition and election method

Tamworth 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 was held on 10 September 2016, and the makeup of the council is as follows:[15]

The current Council, elected in 2022, in order of election, is:[15]

References