# Carrathool Shire

The Carrathool Shire is a local government area that borders both the Riverina and Far West regions of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire comprises 18,933 square kilometres (7,310 sq mi) and is located adjacent to the Mid-Western Highway and north of the Sturt Highway.
The largest town in the Shire is Hillston and the council seat is Goolgowi. The Shire also includes the villages of Merriwagga, Rankins Springs and Carrathool.
Where once regular droughts made life almost untenable, the area now has irrigated crops, gardens, greened sporting facilities and village verges. Over 15,000 square kilometres (5,800 sq mi) are now used in rural pursuits, including more than 600 square kilometres (230 sq mi) in wheat, rice, vineyards, cotton, potatoes, vegetables and orchard trees. Most of the change was made possible by the widespread use of river and underground water.

## Demographics

Selected historical census data for Carrathool Council local government area :
| Census year | Census year | Census year | 2011 | 2016 |
| Population | Population | Estimated residents on census night | 2,587 | 2,719 |
| Population | Population | LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | 126th | 124th |
| Population | Population | % of New South Wales population | 0.04% | 0.04% |
| Population | Population | % of Australian population | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | | |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Australian | 35.5% | 34.6% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | English | 29.8% | 27.8% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Irish | 9.6% | 9.1% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Scottish | 8.0% | 8.5% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | German | 3.1% | 2.4% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Korean | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Afrikaans | n/c | 0.5% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Italian | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Punjabi | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Mandarin | n/c | 0.5% |
| Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 31.5% | 28.0% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Anglican | 24.6% | 22.4% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | No religion | 13.3% | 18.1% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Not stated | n/c | 9.9% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Uniting Church | 11.6% | 9.6% |
| Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | | |
| Personal income | Personal income | Median weekly personal income | A$527 | A$681 |
| Personal income | Personal income | % of Australian median income | 91.3% | 102.9% |
| Family income | Family income | Median weekly family income | A$1143 | A$1538 |
| Family income | Family income | % of Australian median income | 77.2% | 88.7% |
| Household income | Household income | Median weekly household income | A$942 | A$1240 |
| Household income | Household income | % of Australian median income | 76.3% | 86.2% |

## History

In May 1934 Carrathool Shire Council voted to remove the shire offices from Carrathool to Goolgowi. The decision was made because Carrathool township was located at the south-west corner of the large shire, whereas Goolgowi was in a more central position.

## Council
### Current composition and election method

Carrathool Shire Council is composed of ten councillors elected proportionally as two separate wards, each electing five councillors. 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. The makeup of the council is as follows:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Independents and Unaligned | 10 |
| | Total | 10 |
The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election by ward, is:
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Notes |
| A Ward | Darryl Jardine | Unaligned | Mayor |
| A Ward | Heather Lyall | Independent | |
| A Ward | Geoff Peters | Unaligned | |
| A Ward | David Fensom | Independent | |
| A Ward | Julie Potter | Unaligned | |
| B Ward | Mick Armstrong | Unaligned | |
| B Ward | Leon Cashmere | Unaligned | |
| B Ward | Beverley Furner | Unaligned | Deputy Mayor |
| B Ward | William Kite | Independent | |
| B Ward | Damon Liddicoat | Unaligned | |

## Election results
### 2024

2024 New South Wales local elections: Carrathool :
| Party | Party | Party |
| | Independents | Independents |
| Formal votes | Formal votes | Formal votes |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes |
| Total | Total | Total |
| Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout |

### 2021

2021 New South Wales local elections: Carrathool :
| Party | Party | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats |
| | Independents | Independents | 694 | 100.0 | +0.0 | 10 |
| Formal votes | Formal votes | Formal votes | 694 | 97.9 | | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 15 | 2.1 | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 709 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | 1,792 | 39.56 | | |

### 2016

2021 New South Wales local elections: Carrathool :
| Party | Party | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change |
| | Independents | Independents | 0 | 0.0 | | 10 | |
| Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | 1,913 | 0.0 | | | |