# Snowy Valleys Council

The Snowy Valleys Council is a local government area located in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. This area was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger of the Tumut Shire and Tumbarumba Shire councils.
The council area comprises 8,960 square kilometres (3,460 sq mi) and covers the western side of the southernmost parts of the Great Dividing Range and foothills in New South Wales. Large sections of the local government area are contained in national parks. At the time of its establishment, the population of the council area was estimated to be 14,953.
The Mayor of Snowy Valleys Council is Councillor Julia Ham, who won the most recent election in 2024.

## Main towns and villages

In addition to the towns of Adelong, Batlow, Tumbarumba and Tumut, localities in the area include Brindabella, Brungle, Cabramurra, Gilmore, Grahamstown, Greg Greg, Gocup, Jingellic, Khancoban, Killimicat, Little River, Maragle, Rosewood, Talbingo, Tooma, Wondalga and Yarrangobilly.

## Heritage listings

The Snowy Valleys Council has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* Mount Kosciuszko to Eden: Bundian Way
* Tumut, Adelong Falls Gold Workings
* Tumut, Cootamundra-Tumut railway: Tumut railway station
* Tumut, 46 Russell Street: Montreal Community Theatre
* Tumut, Tumut Plains Road: Junction Bridge, Tumut

## Demographics

At the 2021 census, there were 14,891 people in the Snowy Valleys local government area; of these 50.4% were male and 49.6% were female. The median age of people in Snowy Valleys Council was 45 years; the national median is 38 years.
At the 2021 census, 42.0% of residents stated their ancestry as Australian. 65% nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity, which was significantly higher than the national average of 47.1%. 87.2% of households only speak English at home, higher than the national average of 72%.
Selected historical census data for Snowy Valleys local government area :
| Census year | Census year | Census year | 2016 | 2021 |
| Population | Population | Estimated residents on census night | 14,395 | 14,891 |
| Population | Population | LGA rank in terms of population size within New South Wales | 77th | 76th |
| Population | Population | % of New South Wales population | 0.19% | 0.18% |
| Population | Population | % of Australian population | 0.06% | 0.06% |
| Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | | |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Australian | 45.5% | 42.0% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | English | 38.9% | 40.0% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Irish | 11.7% | 11.6% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Scottish | 9.4% | 9.7% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | German | 4.6% | n/c |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Australian Aboriginal | 0.7% | 6.1% |
| Language, used at home (other than English) | Language, used at home (other than English) | Afrikaans | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Language, used at home (other than English) | Language, used at home (other than English) | Mandarin | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Language, used at home (other than English) | Language, used at home (other than English) | Filipino | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Language, used at home (other than English) | Language, used at home (other than English) | German | 0.2% | n/c |
| Language, used at home (other than English) | Language, used at home (other than English) | Thai | n/c | 0.3% |
| Language, used at home (other than English) | Language, used at home (other than English) | Wiradjuri | n/c | 0.2% |
| Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Anglican | 29.3% | 23.8% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 26.2% | 23.5% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | No religion, so described | 18.8% | 29.3% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Not stated | 12.1% | 9.9% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Presbyterian and Reformed | 3.5% | 2.8% |
| Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | | |
| Personal income | Personal income | Median weekly personal income | A$ | A$ |
| Personal income | Personal income | % of Australian median income | % | % |
| Family income | Family income | Median weekly family income | A$ | A$ |
| Family income | Family income | % of Australian median income | % | % |
| Household income | Household income | Median weekly household income | A$ | A$ |
| Household income | Household income | % of Australian median income | % | % |

## Council

Snowy Valleys Council consists of nine councillors elected proportionally as a single ward.

### Current composition

| Party | Councillors |
| Independents | 8 |
| Independent Labor | |
| Independent Liberal | |
| Libertarian | 1 |
| Total | 9 |
The current Council, elected in 2024, is:
| Councillor | Party | Notes |
| James Hayes | Independent | |
| Trina Thomson | Independent | |
| Grant Hardwick | Independent | |
| Julia Ham | Independent | Mayor |
| John Larter | Libertarian | |
| Andrew Wortes | Independent | |
| David Sheldon | Independent | |
| Michael Inglis | Independent | |
| Hugh Packard | Independent | Deputy Mayor |

## Election results
### 2024

2024 New South Wales local elections: Snowy Valleys :
| Party | Party | Candidate |
| | Independent | 1. Michael Inglis 2. Barney Hyams (Ind. Nat) 3. Max Gordon-Hall |
| | Independent | Hugh Packard |
| | Independent | Andrew Wortes |
| | Independent Labor | Michael Ivill |
| | Libertarian | John Larter |
| | Independent Liberal | Julia Ham |
| | Independent | David Sheldon |
| | Independent | James Hayes |
| | Independent | Sam Hughes |
| | Independent | Grant Hardwick |
| | Independent | Trina Thomson |
| | Independent | Johanna Armour |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout |