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 federated state, state, province, division (politica ...
located in
North Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its Tropical North Queensland, trop ...
,
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, 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.
In the , the Mackay Region had a population of 121,691 people.
History
''
Yuwibara
The Yuwibara, also written Yuibera and Juipera and also known as Yuwi, after their language, are an Aboriginal Australian people, originating from the area around present-day Mackay, on the east coast of Queensland, Australia.
Country
Accord ...
(''also known as ''Yuibera, Yuri, Juipera, Yuwiburra)'' is an
Australian Aboriginal language
The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...
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.'
Prior to 2008, the Mackay Region was an entire area of three previous and distinct local government areas:
* the
City of Mackay
The City of Mackay was a local government area located in the Central Queensland region of Queensland, Australia, encompassing the regional city of Mackay and the surrounding region. The City was created as a municipal borough in 1869, and pr ...
;
* the
Shire of Mirani
The Shire of Mirani was a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the North Queensland region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Mirani, Queensland, Mirani, covered an area of , and existed ...
;
* and the
Shire of Sarina
The Shire of Sarina was a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the Central Queensland region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Sarina, Queensland, Sarina, covered an area of , and exist ...
.
The city had its beginning in the Mackay Municipality which was proclaimed on 22 September 1869 under the ''Municipal Institutions Act 1864''. 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
The Shire of Sarina was a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the Central Queensland region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Sarina, Queensland, Sarina, covered an area of , and exist ...
on 1 January 1912, and the
Shire of Mirani
The Shire of Mirani was a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the North Queensland region of Queensland, Australia. The shire, administered from the town of Mirani, Queensland, Mirani, covered an area of , and existed ...
on 4 September 1913.
On 21 November 1991, the
Electoral and Administrative Review Commission
The Electoral and Administrative Review Commission (1989–1993) was an agency of the Government of Queensland, Australia to investigate the electoral system and public administration of the state and local government in Australia, local governme ...
, 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.
Mackay Region
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. 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
Council
Mackay Regional Council is unsubdivided, meaning it does not have any wards. The mayor is directly-elected.
The incumbent mayor, Greg Williamson, formed the Greg Williamson Alliance ahead of the 2016 election, with six members of the group re-elected in
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
.
In 2023, four councillors left the group, and in 2024 Team Greg Williamson was formed with the stated aim of "creat nga progressive, modern council".
Current composition
The current council, elected in
2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
, is:
Past councillors
2020−present
Election results
2024
Settlements
The Mackay Region includes the following settlements:
Mackay Mackay may refer to:
*Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives
Mackay may also refer to:
Places Australia
* Mackay Region, a local government area
** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region
*** Mackay Airport ...
(
city centre
A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...
North Mackay
North Mackay is a suburb of Mackay in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , North Mackay had a population of 6,194 people.
Although in present times North Mackay is an officially and precisely bounded area, historically and in inf ...
Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, northwest of central London and southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High Wycombe.
The ...
Racecourse
A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...
**
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a city in the United States
* Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
Brampton Island
Brampton Island is an island in the Cumberland Group, off shore from Mackay, Queensland, Australia. The island lies within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, and the majority of the island forms the Brampton Islands National Park, how ...
Lindeman Island
Lindeman Island is an island in the Lindeman Group of the Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The island was named by Captain Bedwell after his sub-lieutenant, George Sidney Lindeman whilst aboard the Royal Navy vessel . ...
Pindi Pindi
Pindi Pindi is a rural locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Pindi Pindi had a population of 86 people.
Geography
The locality of Pindi Pindi is bounded to the south and east by Blackrock Creek (which ...
Alexandra
Alexandra () is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander (, ). Etymology, Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; genitive, GEN , ; ...
Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...
Dumbleton
Dumbleton is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Tewkesbury, Tewkesbury district, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. The village is roughly 20 miles from the city of Gloucester. The village is known to have existed in the time ...
Habana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Homebush
Homebush is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield.
The name o ...
*
Mentmore
Mentmore is a village and civil parish in the Aylesbury Vale district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is about three miles east of Wingrave, three miles south east of Wing.
The village toponym is derived from the Old English for "Menta's moo ...
Mount Pelion
Pelion or Pelium (Modern , ''Pílio''; Ancient Greek/Katharevousa: Πήλιον, ''Pēlion'') is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in northern Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the Pagasetic Gulf and the Aegean Sea. It ...
*
Palmyra
Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...
Rosella
Rosellas are in a genus that consists of six species and nineteen subspecies.
These colourful parrots from Australia are in the genus ''Platycercus''.
''Platycercus'' means "broad-tailed" or "flat-tailed", reflecting a feature common to the ...
Victoria Plains
Victoria Plains is a rural locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Victoria Plains had a population of 338 people.
Geography
Victoria Plains has the following mountains:
* Dals Lookout in the north-east of the locality ...
Crediton
Crediton is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Mid Devon district of Devon, England. It stands on the A377 road, A377 Exeter to Barnstaple road at the junction with the A3072 road to Tiverton, Devon, Tiverton, north w ...
Eton
Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England.
Eton may also refer to:
Places
*Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England
*Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States
*Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...
Kinchant Dam
Kinchant Dam is a dam in the locality of Kinchant Dam in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. It created the reservoir Lake Kinchant (). It has a storage capacity of .
Geography
The dam is built on Sandy Creek to provide irrigation and t ...
Netherdale
Netherdale is a sports complex in Galashiels, Scottish Borders, consisting of two adjacent stadiums used for rugby union and Association football, football. The rugby ground is the home of Gala RFC and was formerly used by the professional Border ...
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was main ...
Armstrong Beach
Armstrong Beach is a coastal town and a locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Armstrong Beach had a population of 903 people.
Geography
The waters of the ''Coral Sea'' form the eastern boundary.
Histo ...
Freshwater Point
Freshwater Point is a coastal locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Freshwater Point had a population of 174 people.
Geography
The locality is bounded to the west by the Goonyella railway line, to the north-west (loo ...
(town)
*
Grasstree Beach
Grasstree Beach is a coastal locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. It contains two towns, Grasstree in the centre of the locality () and Zelma on the coast (). In the , Grasstree Beach had a population of 717 people.
Geography ...
Hay Point
Hay Point is a coastal locality in Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. It contains two towns, Hector on its north coast () and Half Tide on its south coast (). In the , the locality of Hay Point had a population of 1,306 people.
Geography
H ...
Sarina
Sarina is a rural town and coastal Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Sarina had a population of 5,619 people.
Geography
Sarina lies just inland of the east coa ...
(town)
*
Sarina Beach
Sarina Beach is a coastal town and locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Sarina Beach had a population of 661 people.
Geography
The locality is bounded to east by the Coral Sea, to the south by the Sar ...
(town)
*
Sarina Range
Sarina Range is a rural locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Sarina Range had a population of 277 people.
Geography
The Marlborough–Sarina Road runs through from south to north.
History
The name Sarina Range is p ...
(locality)
Demographics
The population figures for each of the predecessor local government areas prior to the 2008 amalgamation:
The estimated population figures (official census population figures are in bold) for the amalgamated Mackay Region from 2008.
Sarina
Sarina is a rural town and coastal Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Sarina had a population of 5,619 people.
Geography
Sarina lies just inland of the east coa ...
and Mirani. A mobile library service visits the following districts on a fortnightly schedule: Yalboroo,
Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...
Hay Point
Hay Point is a coastal locality in Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. It contains two towns, Hector on its north coast () and Half Tide on its south coast (). In the , the locality of Hay Point had a population of 1,306 people.
Geography
H ...
Habana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Blacks Beach, Slade Point, Hampden, Marian, Gargett, Finch Hatton,
Homebush
Homebush is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 12 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield.
The name o ...