Municipality of Kiama
| Kiama Municipal Council New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location in the Illawarra | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°39′S 150°51′E / 34.650°S 150.850°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 23,074 (LGA 2021)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1859 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 258 km2 (99.6 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Mayor | Neil Reilly | ||||||||||||||
| Council seat | Kiama[2] | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Illawarra | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Kiama | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Gilmore | ||||||||||||||
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| Website | Kiama Municipal Council | ||||||||||||||
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The Municipality of Kiama is a local government area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is situated south of Shellharbour and the City of Wollongong and is located adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, the Princes Highway and the South Coast railway line.
Towns and localities[edit]
The Municipality of Kiama contains the following towns and localities:
Municipal history[edit]
The municipality of Kiama was created in 1859. There were three wards: Kiama, Gerringong and Jamberoo. The first council comprised James Colley, John Sharpe and Joseph Pike (representing the Kiama Ward); John Hukins, John Colley and John Hanrahan (representing the Jamberoo Ward); and Joseph Blow, Robert Miller and James Robinson (representing the Gerringong Ward). The first mayor of Kiama was James Colley.[citation needed]
In 1871, Gerringong separated from the Kiama municipality and Jamberoo in 1892. In 1954, the Gerringong, Jamberoo and Kiama municipalities were amalgamated forming today's current municipal boundaries.[3]
Kiama has had three female mayors: Ruth Devenney (1991 until 1992), Joyce Wheatley (1992 until 2000) and Sandra McCarthy (2000 until 2012).[citation needed]
A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the Municipality of Kiama merge with the City of Shoalhaven to form a new council with an area of 4,825 square kilometres (1,863 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 120,000.[4] The Kiama community along with the Shoalhaven community actively campaigned against any forced council amalgamation between the two councils.[5] Kiama council held a non-compulsory poll on 7 May 2016 to grasp community attitudes to the proposal.[6] The results of the poll concluded that 95% of the community supported remaining an independent council, with a 49.9% turnout.[7] On 12 May 2016, the NSW State Government determined not to amalgamate Kiama and Shoalhaven council areas.[8]
Demographics[edit]
At the 2021 census the total population of the Municipality was 23,074 people. The median age of the community was 48 years.[9]
About 8.2% of the population was born outside of Australia, with the top countries of birth being England at 5.2%, New Zealand at 1.3%, Scotland at 0.6%, the United States of America at 0.6% and Germany at 0.5%. The Indigenous Australian population is 2.3% of the total community population.[9]
English was spoken as a first language by 91.0% of the population. The top response for languages spoken at home other than English was Italian at 0.4%, followed by German at 0.3%, Spanish at 0.3%, Greek at 0.3% and French at 0.3%.[9]
Council[edit]
Current composition and election method[edit]
The council of the municipality of Kiama 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 4 December 2021 and the makeup of the council is as follows:[10]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party | 2 | |
| The Greens | 2 | |
| Independents | 1 | |
| S.A.F.E. Kiama | 1 | |
| Team Reilly | 1 | |
| We Love Kiama Gerringong Jamberoo | 1 | |
| Your Community Candidates | 1 | |
| Total | 9 | |
The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election, is:[10][11]
| Councillor | Party | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathy Rice | Greens | ||
| Imogen Draisma | Labor | Deputy Mayor | |
| Mark Croxford | Your Community Candidates | ||
| Karen Renkema-Lang | S.A.F.E. Kiama | ||
| Neil Reilly | Team Reilly | Mayor | |
| Matt Brown | We Love Kiama Gerringong Jamberoo | Former state MP for Kiama | |
| Jodi Keast | Greens | ||
| Stuart Larkins | Labor | ||
| Warren Steel | Independent | ||
2021 election results[edit]
| Elected councillor | Party | |
|---|---|---|
| Kathy Rice | Greens | |
| Imogen Draisma | Labor | |
| Mark Croxford | YCC | |
| Karen Renkema-Lang | S.A.F.E. | |
| Neil Reilly | Team Reilly | |
| Matt Brown | WLKGJ | |
| Jodi Keast | Greens | |
| Stuart Larkins | Labor | |
| Warren Steel | Independent | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greens | 4,070 | 27.1 | +3.3 | ||
| Labor | 2,553 | 17.0 | +17.0 | ||
| Your Community Candidates | 2,030 | 13.5 | |||
| You're in S.A.F.E. Hands | 1,963 | 13.1 | |||
| We Love Kiama Gerringong Jamberoo | 1,706 | 11.4 | |||
| Team Reilly | 1,675 | 11.2 | |||
| Independent | 1,019 | 6.8 | |||
| Total formal votes | 15,016 | 96.0 | |||
| Informal votes | 628 | 4.0 | |||
| Turnout | 15,644 | 86.9 | |||
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Kiama (Local Government Area)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Council of the Municipality of Kiama". Department of Local Government. Archived from the original on 6 September 2006. Retrieved 26 November 2006.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1919 – Proclamation (91)". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 11 June 1954. p. 1718. Retrieved 8 January 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Merger proposal: Kiama Municipal Council, Shoalhaven City Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ "Kiama locals protest over proposed merger with Shoalhaven council - ABC News". ABC News. 22 December 2015.
- ^ "Kiama council to further consider plebiscite proposal". 24 February 2016.
- ^ "Kiama says no to council amalgamations". 8 May 2016.
- ^ "Kiama community wins - Kiama Municipal Council". www.kiama.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 12 May 2016.
- ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Kiama". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Kiama Councillor Election". NSW Electoral Commission. 22 December 2021. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024 – via pastvtr.elections.nsw.gov.au.
The following candidates were declared elected on 22 December 2021: Kathy RICE (GRN) Karen RENKEMA-LANG (IND) Imogen DRAISMA (ALP) Neil REILLY (IND) Matt BROWN Mark CROXFORD Jodi KEAST (GRN) Stuart LARKINS (ALP) Warren STEEL (IND)
- ^ "Local Government Register of Groups of Candidates by Electorate by Group Name" (PDF). 29 November 2021. pp. 72–73. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2023.
- ^ "Kiama". ABC News.
- ^ "WATSON HIS OWN MAN". The Bugle Online.
- ^ "Senior Liberals blindsided by dumped MP's bid to take on Gareth Ward in NSW election". The Guardian.
