# Balranald Shire

Balranald Shire is a local government area in the Riverina area of western New South Wales, Australia on the Sturt Highway. It is the location of World Heritage listed Mungo National Park. It includes the towns of Balranald and Euston. Other localities in the Shire include Kyalite, Hatfield, Penarie, Clare and Oxley.
As of 29 January 2020, the Balranald Shire Council Mayor and elected members were dismissed by NSW local government minister Shelley Hancock, after the recommendations of the report of commissioner Roslyn McCulloch. Mike Colreavy has been appointed the administrator until local council elections in 2024.

## Demographics

Selected historical census data for Balranald Shire local government area :
| Census year | Census year | Census year | 2011 | 2016 |
| Population | Population | Estimated residents on census night | 2,283 | 2,287 |
| Population | Population | LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | 127th | 126th |
| Population | Population | % of New South Wales population | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| 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 | 32.3% | 31.6% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | English | 24.9% | 25.1% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Irish | 8.9% | 10.1% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Italian | 10.3% | 9.0% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Scottish | 5.7% | 5.9% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Italian | 4.4% | 3.0% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Fijian | n/c | 0.6% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Mandarin | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Tongan | 0.6% | 0.4% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Arabic | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 39.3% | 35.7% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | No religion | 13.6% | 20.8% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Anglican | 16.5% | 15.0% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Not stated | n/c | 12.7% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Presbyterian and Reformed | 8.6% | 6.9% |
| Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | | |
| Personal income | Personal income | Median weekly personal income | A$470 | A$624 |
| Personal income | Personal income | % of Australian median income | 81.5% | 94.3% |
| Family income | Family income | Median weekly family income | A$1126 | A$1438 |
| Family income | Family income | % of Australian median income | 76.0% | 82.9% |
| Household income | Household income | Median weekly household income | A$894 | A$1174 |
| Household income | Household income | % of Australian median income | 72.4% | 81.6% |

## Council
### Current composition and election method

The Balranald Shire Council is currently under administration, as of 29 January 2020, after local government minister Shelley Hancock accepted the recommendations of the report created by commissioner Roslyn McCulloch. The next election will be held in September 2024.

## Election results
### 2024

2024 New South Wales local elections: Balranald :
| Party | Party | Candidate |
| | Independent | Alison Linnett |
| | Independent | Brodie Rayner |
| | Independent | Dwaine Scott |
| | Independent | German Ugarte |
| | Independent | Iain Lindsay Field |
| | Independent | Leigh Byron |
| | Independent | Luigi (Louie) Zaffina |
| | Independent | Lynda Moss |
| | Independent | Morgan Rasmus |
| | Independent | Patricia Winch |
| | Independent | Philip Pippin |
| | Independent | Ronald Mengler |
| | Independent | Tracy O'Halloran |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout |

### 2012

2012 New South Wales local elections: Balranald :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Stephen O'Halloran (elected) | 419 | 35.8 | −2.6 |
| | Independent | Leigh Byron (elected) | 176 | 15.0 | +3.3 |
| | Independent | Trevor Jolliffe (elected) | 129 | 11.0 | +11.0 |
| | Independent Labor | Alan Purtill (elected) | 93 | 7.9 | +0.2 |
| | Independent | Lynda Cooke (elected) | 83 | 7.1 | +7.1 |
| | Independent | Jeff Mannix (elected) | 76 | 6.5 | +3.0 |
| | Independent | Ken Barnes (elected) | 80 | 6.8 | +2.2 |
| | Independent | Elaine Campbell (elected) | 50 | 4.3 | +4.3 |
| | Independent | John Jackson | 27 | 2.3 | +2.3 |
| | Independent | Tina Powis | 26 | 2.2 | −3.1 |
| | Independent | Bill Vaarzon-Morel | 12 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 79.6 | |
| Party total votes ||||||
| | Independent | Independent | 1,078 | 92.1 | |
| | Independent Labor | Independent Labor | 93 | 7.9 | |

## Localities

| Town | Population |
| Balranald | 1,343 |
| Clare | |
| Condoulpe | |
| Euston | 839 |
| Hatfield | 11 |
| Kyalite | 82 |
| Oxley | 33 |
| Penarie | |
Condoulpe (34°46′S 143°32′E﻿ / ﻿34.767°S 143.533°E﻿ / -34.767; 143.533) is situated about 15 kilometres south of Balranald and 21 kilometres north of Kyalite.