# City of Lake Macquarie

The City of Lake Macquarie is a local government area (LGA) in the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city on 7 September 1984. It is adjacent to the city of Newcastle and is part of the Greater Newcastle area. The city is approximately 150 km (93 mi) north of Sydney. One of its major tourist attractions is its lake, also named Lake Macquarie.
The mayor of the city is Councillor Adam Shultz, a member of the Labor Party.
The Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Tobruk was granted the Right of Freedom of Entry to the city on 9 August 1991.

## History

The Shire of Lake Macquarie was proclaimed on 6 March 1906. It became a municipality on 1 March 1977, and a city on 7 September 1984.

## Suburbs, towns and villages

Lake Macquarie is home to several prominent coastal suburbs such as Catherine Hill Bay, Caves Beach, Blacksmiths and Redhead. Retail and commercial centres include Belmont, Cardiff, Charlestown Glendale, Swansea, Toronto and Morisset.
The towns and villages in the city are split into three wards – East, North and West. These include:
The Australian Bureau of Statistics classifies various towns and suburbs in the LGA as being part of the Greater Newcastle Statistical District. The City of Lake Macquarie has its own independent local government (Lake Macquarie City Council). The largest commercial centre in the area is Charlestown.

## Demographics

The area is a set of contiguous towns that surround a coastal saltwater lake. These towns merge with the suburbs of Newcastle to the north. Some suburbs, such as Adamstown Heights are partly in the City of Newcastle and partly within the City of Lake Macquarie. There are 92 identified settlements ranging from small rural style communities through to larger and higher density areas such as Toronto, Warners Bay, Belmont, Charlestown and Morisset.
At the 2011 census, there were 189,006 people in the Lake Macquarie local government area, of these 48.8% were male and 51.2% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.0% of the population, which was higher than the national and state averages. The median age of people in the City of Lake Macquarie was 41 years, which was significantly higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 18.6% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 18.4% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 51.0% were married and 12.2% were either divorced or separated.
Population growth in the City of Lake Macquarie between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 3.36%; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 Census, population growth was 3.20%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in Lake Macquarie local government area was approximately half the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the City of Lake Macquarie was marginally below the national average.
At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Lake Macquarie local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Celtic exceeded 81% of all residents (national average was 65.2%). In excess of 58% of all residents in the City of Lake Macquarie nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was slightly higher than the national average of 50.2%. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Lake Macquarie local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (5.4%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4%); and a significantly higher proportion (93.0%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).
Selected historical census data for Lake Macquarie local government area :
| Census year | Census year | Census year | 2001 | 2006 | 2011 | 2016 | 2021 |
| Population | Population | Estimated residents on Census night | 177,185 | 183,138 | 189,006 | 197,371 | 213,845 |
| Population | Population | LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | | 4th | 4th | 13th | |
| Population | Population | % of New South Wales population | | | 2.73% | 2.64% | 2.65% |
| Population | Population | % of Australian population | 0.94% | 0.92% | 0.88% | 0.84% | 0.84% |
| Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | | | | | |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Australian | | | 33.7% | 32.0% | 42.7% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | English | | | 32.2% | 31.9% | 43.9% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Scottish | | | 8.2% | 8.6% | 11.8% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Irish | | | 7.7% | 8.3% | 10.9% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | German | | | 3.0% | 3.1% | |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Italian | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Macedonian | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Mandarin | | | | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Italian | | | | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | German | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Cantonese | n/c | 0.2% | 0.2% | |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Spanish | n/c | n/c | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | | | | | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | No Religion | 12.5% | 15.5% | 19.7% | 28.9% | 42.0% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Anglican | 29.1% | 27.6% | 26.2% | 21.3% | 15.7% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 23.0% | 22.9% | 22.8% | 20.8% | 18.0% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Uniting Church | 10.0% | 8.8% | 5.8% | 5.9% | 4.1% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Presbyterian and Reformed | 4.4% | 4.0% | 3.6% | | |
| Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | | | | | |
| Personal income | Personal income | Median weekly personal income | | A$394 | A$520 | A$609 | A$759 |
| Personal income | Personal income | % of Australian median income | | 84.5% | 90.1% | 92% | 94.3% |
| Family income | Family income | Median weekly family income | | A$922 | A$1,396 | A$1,610 | A$2,050 |
| Family income | Family income | % of Australian median income | | 89.8% | 94.3% | 92.8% | 96.7% |
| Household income | Household income | Median weekly household income | | A$1,102 | A$1,177 | A$1,313 | A$1,623 |
| Household income | Household income | % of Australian median income | | 94.1% | 90.5% | 91.3% | 93.0% |

## Economics

Lake Macquarie has a significant coal mining industry and smaller agriculture and manufacturing industries. Eraring power station, a 1980s-era coal-fired power station, supplies 25% of New South Wales' power. Lake Macquarie has a number of Constructed Wetlands with the council placing an emphasis on the environment.

## Council
### Current composition and election method

Lake Macquarie City Council is composed of thirteen councillors, including the mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is directly elected while the twelve other Councillors are elected proportionally as three separate wards, each electing four Councillors. The most recent election was held on 14 September 2024, and the makeup of the council, including the mayor, is as follows:
| Party | Councillors |
| Labor | 6 |
| Liberal | 3 |
| Lake Mac Independents | 3 |
| Independent | 1 |
| Total | 13 |
The current Council, elected in 2024, in order of election by ward, is:
| Ward | Councillor | Party |
| Mayor | Adam Shultz | Labor |
| East Ward | Christine Buckley | Labor |
| East Ward | Matt Shultz | Liberal |
| East Ward | Stacey Radcliffe | Labor |
| East Ward | Michael Hannah | Lake Mac Independents |
| North Ward | Colin Grigg | Lake Mac Independents |
| North Ward | Jack Antcliff | Liberal |
| North Ward | Brian Adamthwaite | Labor |
| North Ward | Keara Conroy | Labor |
| West Ward | Kate Warner | Lake Mac Independents |
| West Ward | Madeline Bishop | Labor |
| West Ward | Jason Pauling | Liberal |
| West Ward | Anthony Swinsburg | Independent |

## Election results
### 2024

2024 New South Wales local elections: Lake Macquarie :
| Party | Party | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change |
| | Labor | Labor | 46,239 | 35.2 | −4.0 | 5 | 1 |
| | Liberal | Liberal | 30,363 | 23.1 | −2.6 | 3 | |
| | Lake Mac Independents | Lake Mac Independents | 28,530 | 21.7 | +2.3 | 3 | |
| | Greens | Greens | 13,257 | 10.1 | +0.3 | 0 | |
| | Community First Independents | Community First Independents | 2,942 | 2.2 | | 0 | |
| | Our Local Community | Our Local Community | 2,819 | 2.1 | | 0 | |
| | Independents | Independents | 7,221 | 5.5 | +1.9 | 1 | 1 |
| Formal votes | Formal votes | Formal votes | 131,371 | 92.8 | | | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 10,133 | 7.2 | | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 141,504 | | | 12 | |
| Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | Registered voters / turnout | | | | | |

### 2021

2021 New South Wales local elections: Lake Macquarie :
| Party | Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | Change |
| | Labor | Labor | 50,340 | 39.2 | 6 | 1 |
| | Liberal | Liberal | 33,078 | 25.7 | 3 | |
| | Lake Mac Independents | Lake Mac Independents | 24,922 | 19.4 | 3 | |
| | Greens | Greens | 12,571 | 9.8 | 0 | |
| | Independent | Independent | 4,661 | 3.6 | 0 | |
| | Shooters, Fishers, Farmers | Shooters, Fishers, Farmers | 29,80 | 2.3 | 0 | |
| Formal votes | Formal votes | Formal votes | 128,552 | | | |

## Shopping

Major shopping centres include:
* Charlestown Square
* Stockland Glendale
* Lake Macquarie Square

## Arts and culture

Lake Macquarie has a number of cultural and artistic locations:
* Dobell House – last residence of William Dobell, Wangi Wangi
* Finite Gallery, Caves Beach Fine Arts and Crafts
* Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, Booragul
* South Sea Islands Museum and Sunnyside Historic Home, Cooranbong
* The Friends of Rathmines Incorporated, Rathmines Park

## Sister cities

The City of Lake Macquarie has sister city relations with the following cities:
* Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan
* Tanagura, Fukushima, Japan
* Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
* Round Rock, Texas, United States of America