# Cabonne Council

Cabonne Council is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Mitchell Highway and the Broken Hill railway line, partly surrounding the City of Orange. The administrative centre is located at Molong.
As at the 2016 census, the population of the Shire was estimated to be 13,860. More than half of the businesses in the region, being 858 of 1683, are classified as part of the agricultural sector.
The mayor of the Cabonne Council is Cr. Kevin Beatty, an independent politician.

## Towns and localities

The towns and localities in the Cabonne Council area are:
* Boree
* Borenore
* Cadia
* Canowindra (shared with Cowra)
* Cargo
* Cudal
* Cumnock
* Eugowra (shared with Forbes)
* Manildra
* Molong
* Moorbel
* Mullion Creek
* Murga
* Nashdale
* Toogong
* Windera
* Yeoval

## Demographics

Selected historical census data for Cabonne Shire local government area :
| Census year | Census year | Census year | 2011 | 2016 |
| Population | Population | Estimated residents on census night | 12,821 | 13,386 |
| 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 | English | 36.1% | 35.8% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Australian | 31.8% | 31.7% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Irish | 10.4% | 9.5% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Scottish | 7.7% | 7.6% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | German | 2.8% | 2.5% |
| Language | Language | English only spoken at home | 95.6% | 91.3% |
| Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 30.3% | 27.9% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Anglican | 30.1% | 26.6% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | No Religion | 13.1% | 17.5% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Uniting Church | 9.5% | 7.8% |
| Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | | |
| Personal income | Personal income | Median weekly personal income | $523 | $631 |
| Personal income | Personal income | % of Australian median income | 93.2% | 95.0% |
| Family income | Family income | Median weekly family income | $1,293 | $1,618 |
| Family income | Family income | % of Australian median income | 87.5% | 90.9% |
| Household income | Household income | Median weekly household income | $1,036 | $1,301 |
| Household income | Household income | % of Australian median income | 83.8% | 87.6% |

## Council
### Current composition and election method

Cabonne Shire Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as a single ward. 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, and the makeup of the council is as follows:
| Party | Councillors |
| Independent | 8 |
| Independent National | 1 |
| Total | 9 |
The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election, is:
| Councillor | Party | Notes |
| Marlene Nash | Independent | |
| Kevin Beatty | Independent | Mayor |
| Jamie Jones | Independent National | Deputy Mayor |
| Andrew Pull | Unaligned | |
| Peter Batten | Independent | |
| Andrew Rawson | Independent | |
| Kathryn O'Ryan | Unaligned | |
| Jenny Weaver | Unaligned | |
| Libby Oldham | Independent | |

## Election results
### 2024

2024 New South Wales local elections: Cabonne :
| Party | Party | Candidate |
| | Independent | Guin Dickie |
| | Independent | Peter Batten |
| | Independent | Marlene Nash |
| | Independent | Andrew Rawson |
| | Independent National | Jamie Jones |
| | Independent | Kevin Beatty |
| | Independent | Jennifer Weaver |
| | Independent | Kathryn O'Ryan |
| | Independent | Andrew Pull |
| | Independent | Aaron Pearson |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout |

### 2021

2021 New South Wales local elections: Cabonne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Kevin Beatty (elected) | 1,859 | 23.7 |
| | Independent | Marlene Nash (elected) | 1,090 | 13.9 |
| | Independent | Andrew Pull (elected) | 726 | 9.3 |
| | Independent | Kathryn O'Ryan (elected) | 657 | 8.4 |
| | Independent | Andrew Rawson (elected) | 641 | 8.2 |
| | Independent | Jamie Jones (elected) | 638 | 8.1 |
| | Independent | Peter Batten (elected) | 511 | 6.5 |
| | Independent | Libby Oldham (elected) | 378 | 4.8 |
| | Independent | Aaron Pearson | 375 | 4.8 |
| | Independent | Kevin Walker | 293 | 3.7 |
| | Independent | Jenny Weaver (elected) | 250 | 3.2 |
| | Independent | Paul Mullins | 205 | 2.6 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 7,836 | 92.7 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 618 | 7.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,454 | 84.0 |

### 2017

2017 New South Wales local elections: Cabonne :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Kevin Beatty (elected) | 919 | 12.2 |
| | Independent | Peter Batten (elected) | 867 | 11.5 |
| | Independent | Kevin Walker (elected) | 842 | 11.1 |
| | Independent | Greg Treavors (elected) | 705 | 9.3 |
| | Independent | Marlene Nash (elected) | 629 | 8.3 |
| | Independent | Cheryl Newsom (elected) | 624 | 8.1 |
| | Independent | Jamie Jones (elected) | 592 | 7.8 |
| | Independent | Ian Davison (elected) | 545 | 7.2 |
| | Independent | Libby Oldham (elected) | 411 | 5.4 |
| | Independent | Anthony Durkin (elected) | 396 | 5.2 |
| | Independent | Jenny Waver (elected) | 324 | 4.3 |
| | Independent | Paul Mullins (elected) | 301 | 4.0 |
| | Independent | Duncan Brakell | 226 | 3.0 |
| | Independent | Derek Johnson | 184 | 2.4 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 7,555 | 89.88 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 851 | 10.12 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,406 | 84.80 |

## History

The first Australian gold rush occurred at Ophir within the present shire boundary.
Cabonne Shire was formed in 1978 following the amalgamation of Molong Shire, Boree Shire and the greater part of Canobolas Shire.

### Proposed amalgamation

A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the Cabonne Shire merge with the Orange City and Blayney Shire Councils to form a new council with an area of 7,833 square kilometres (3,024 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 63,000. As a result of the state government's decision to not proceed with proposed council amalgamations, this no longer applies.

## Industry

The Manildra Group flour mill, one of the ten largest flour mills globally, is located within the shire at Manildra.