Mackay Region
Queensland
Location within Queensland
Coordinates21°08′28″S 149°11′08″E / 21.14111°S 149.18556°E / -21.14111; 149.18556
Population121,691 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density15.9658/km2 (41.3511/sq mi)
Established1869
Area7,622 km2 (2,942.9 sq mi)
MayorGreg Williamson[2]
Council seatMackay
RegionNorth Queensland
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)
WebsiteMackay Region
LGAs around Mackay Region:
Whitsunday Whitsunday Coral Sea
Whitsunday Mackay Region Coral Sea
Isaac Isaac Isaac

The Mackay Region is a local government area located in North Queensland, Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by three previous local government areas with modern histories extending back as far as 1869.

It has an estimated operating budget of A$118 million.

History

Yuwibara (also known as Yuibera, Yuri, Juipera, Yuwiburra) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Yuwibara country. It is closely related to the Biri languages/dialects. The Yuwibara language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Mackay Region.[3]

Prior to 2008, the Mackay Region was an entire area of three previous and distinct local government areas:

The city had its beginning in the Mackay Municipality which was proclaimed on 22 September 1869 under the Municipal Institutions Act 1864.[4] Its first mayor was David Dalrymple, and the council first met on 1 December 1869. It achieved a measure of autonomy in 1878 with the enactment of the Local Government Act. With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, Mackay became a Town on 31 March 1903, and was ultimately proclaimed a City on 17 August 1918.

On 11 December 1879, the Pioneer Division came into being as one of Queensland's 74 divisions created under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 on 11 November 1879, chaired by John Ewen Davidson. On 31 March 1903, Pioneer became a Shire. Two areas split away from it over the next decade; the Shire of Sarina on 1 January 1912, and the Shire of Mirani on 4 September 1913.[5]

On 21 November 1991, the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission, created two years earlier, produced its second report, and recommended that local government boundaries in the Mackay area be rationalised. The Local Government (Mackay and Pioneer) Regulation 1993 was gazetted on 17 December 1993, and on 30 March 1994, the two amalgamated into a larger City of Mackay, which first met on 8 April 1994.

In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released a report making recommendations for statewide reform of local government boundaries, and recommended that the three areas of Mackay, Mirani and Sarina amalgamate, due mainly to Mackay's role as a regional centre and all three shires' involvement in sugar production. The City of Mackay endorsed the suggestion, but the two shires proposed alternative options. In the end, the commission's proposal was unchanged.[6] On 15 March 2008, the City and Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council.

Mayors

  • 2000–present: Gregory Roy Williamson[7]

Council

Mackay Regional Council
Type
Type
Leadership
Mayor
Deputy Mayor
Karen May, Independent
Structure
Seats11 elected representatives, including a Mayor and 10 councillors
Political groups
  • Majority:
  •   Independent (8)
Elections
Last election
28 March 2020
Next election
16 March 2024

The Mackay Regional Council does not contain divisions or wards and remains undivided and has an elected body consisting of 10 councillors and a mayor. Current councillors and there relevant political affiliations are as follows:[8]

CouncillorDeclared political membershipTermPosition
Cr. Greg WilliamsonIndependent2016–presentMayor
Cr. Karen MayIndependent2008–presentDeputy Mayor
Cr. Martin BellaLNP[9]2016–present
Cr. Laurence BonaventuraIndependent2012–present
Cr. Justin EnglertIndependent2016–present
Cr. Michelle GreenIndependent2020–present
Cr. Belinda HassanALP[10]2020–present
Cr. Allison JonesIndependent2020–present
Cr. Fran MannALP[11]2016–present
Cr. Russel SeymourIndependent2020–present
Cr. Pauline TownsendIndependent2020–present

Towns and localities

The Mackay Region includes the following settlements:

Population

The population figures for each of the predecessor local government areas prior to the 2008 amalgamation:

Year Total Region Mackay Pioneer Mirani Sarina
193328,12410,6659,9264,4123,121
194732,94713,48611,6064,5873,268
195437,92414,76214,3165,0563,790
196141,19616,80915,7414,7603,886
196648,58018,64019,9005,3794,611
197151,90319,14822,5614,7725,422
197657,90320,22426,9384,8895,852
198166,05720,66433,7324,7396,922
198670,67422,19936,0844,8547,537
199176,37223,05240,6144,6258,081
199686,37671,8945,0889,394
200189,87775,0205,2209,637
2006101,52585,4505,40610,720

The estimated population figures (official census population figures are in bold) for the amalgamated Mackay Region from 2008[12][13][14][15]

Year Total Region Population Change Since Previous Year  % Change Since Previous Year
2008108,644+2,618+2.47%
2009111,455+2,811+2.59%
2010113,699+2,244+2.01%
2011112,798-901-0.79%
2012117,603+4,805+4.26%
2013119,076+1,473+1.25%
2014119,272+196+0.16%
2015118,771-501-0.42%
2016 114,969 -3,802-3.20%
2017116,601+1,632+1.42%
2018116,514-87-0.07%
2019116,761+247+0.21%
2020117,902+1,141+0.98%
2021121,691+3,789+3.21%

Services

The Mackay Regional Council operates libraries in Mackay, Mount Pleasant, Walkerston, Sarina and Mirani.[16] A mobile library service visits the following districts on a fortnightly schedule: Yalboroo, Bloomsbury, Midge Point, Ball Bay, Seaforth, Koumala, Swayneville, Hay Point, St Helens Beach, Calen, Shoal Point, Oakenden, Habana, Blacks Beach, Slade Point, Hampden, Marian, Gargett, Finch Hatton, Homebush, Chelona, McEwens Beach and Bucasia.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Mackay". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "2016 Mackay Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 20 April 2016. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  3. ↑ This Wikipedia article incorporates CC-BY-4.0 licensed text from: "Yuwibara". Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map. State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  4. ↑ 28 Vic No. 21 (Imp)
  5. ↑ Mackay Regional Council (2009). "History of council". Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  6. ↑ Queensland Local Government Reform Commission (July 2007). Report of the Local Government Reform Commission (PDF). Vol. 2. pp. 199–203. ISBN 978-1-921057-11-3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 March 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
  7. ↑ "2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  8. ↑ Your Council - Councillors Mackay Regional Council 2020
  9. ↑ Martin Bella - Register of Interests Mackay Regional Council 21st October 2021
  10. ↑ Belinda Hassan - Register of Interests Mackay Regional Council 21st October 2021
  11. ↑ Frances Mann - Register of Interests Mackay Regional Council 12th July 2021
  12. ↑ Mackay Economic Profile 2018 Mackay Regional Council 2018
  13. ↑ Community Profile - Mackay Regional Council Remplan 30th March 2021
  14. ↑ 2011 Census QuickStats: Mackay (R) Australian Bureau of Statistics 28th March 2013
  15. ↑ 2016 Census QuickStats: Mackay (R) Australian Bureau of Statistics 23rd October 2017
  16. ↑ "Libraries: Contact/Opening Hours". Mackay Regional Council. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  17. ↑ "Mobile Library Timetable 2017" (PDF). Mackay Regional Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2017.

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