Parkes Shire is a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

in the Central West region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The Shire is located adjacent to the

Broken Hill railway line The Broken Hill railway line is now part of the transcontinental railway from Sydney to Perth. New South Wales's first line opened from Sydney to Parramatta Junction (near Granville Station) in 1855 and was extended as the Main Western line in ...

and the

Newell Highway Newell Highway is a national highway in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It provides the major road link between southeastern Queensland and Victoria via central NSW and as such carries large amounts of freight. At in length, the Newell is th ...

. The area under administration includes the town of

Parkes Parkes may refer to: * Sir Henry Parkes (1815–1896), Australian politician, one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for Australian federation Named for Henry Parkes * Parkes, New South Wales, a regional town * Parkes Observatory, a radi ...

and the surrounding region of , with a population of approximately 14,592 as of 2011. The Shire includes the towns of Peak Hill,

Alectown Alectown is a town in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is on the Newell Highway and in the Parkes Shire local government area, , west north west of the state capital, Sydney. At the , Alectown and the surrounding a ...

Bogan Gate Bogan Gate is a small village in Parkes Shire of the Central West of New South Wales, Australia. At the , Bogan Gate and the surrounding area had a population of 307. Bogan Gate is derived from the local Aboriginal word meaning "the birthpla ...

, Trundle and

Tullamore Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal (Ireland), Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, midlands reg ...

. The

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Parkes Shire Council is Cr. Ken Keith, who is unaligned with any political party.

Heritage listings

Parkes has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 39 Currajong Street:

Parkes Post Office The Parkes Post Office is a heritage-listed former post office and now offices at 39 Currajong Street, Parkes, Parkes Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by James Barnet and Walter Liberty Vernon and built during 1880. The proper ...

* May Street:

Parkes railway station Parkes railway station is a heritage-listed former locomotive depot and railway station and now locomotive roundhouse and railway station located on the Broken Hill line in May Street, Parkes in the Parkes Shire local government area of New Sou ...

Council

Current composition and election method

Parkes Shire Council is composed of ten

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s elected proportionally as a single

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

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: The current Council, elected in 2016, in order of election, is:

References

External links

Local government areas of New South Wales Newell Highway {{CentralWestNSW-geo-stub