Dungog Shire
Dungog Shire is a local government area in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is situated adjacent to the Barrington Tops and consists predominantly of very rugged to hilly country which becomes less rugged from north to south.
Dungog Shire was formed on 1 July 1958 through the amalgamation of Wallarobba Shire with the Municipality of Dungog.
The mayor of the Dungog Shire Council is Clr. John Connors, an independent politician.
Main towns/villages
The major population centres within the Shire are Dungog, Gresford, New South Wales|Gresford], Paterson, Vacy, Martins Creek and Clarence Town. It also includes three main rivers, the Paterson River and Allyn River to the west and the Williams River to the east.Demographics
At the, there were people in the Dungog Shire local government area, of these 50.3 per cent were male and 49.7 per cent were female. Aboriginal and [Torres Strait Islander people] made up 3.2 per cent of the population, which was higher than the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the Dungog Shire was 44 years, significantly higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 18.8 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 17.6 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 54.7 per cent were married and 11.5 per cent were either divorced or separated.Population growth in the Dungog Shire between the 2001 census and the was 2.37 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the, population growth was 3.18 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78 per cent and 8.32 per cent respectively, population growth in the Dungog Shire local government area was approximately one-third of the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Dungog Shire was lower than the national average.
At the, the proportion of residents in the Dungog Shire local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Celtic exceeded 85 per cent of all residents. In excess of 56% of all residents in the Dungog Shire nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the, which was slightly higher than the national average of 50.2 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Dungog Shire local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion where two or more languages are spoken ; and a significantly higher proportion where English only was spoken at home.
Council
Current composition and election method
Dungog Shire Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally in three separate wards, each electing two councillors. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is directly elected for the full term. The most recent election was held on 14 September 2024. An election was held in the A, B and C Wards. The makeup of the council is as follows:The current Council, elected in 2024 is: