# Federation Council (New South Wales)

Federation Council is a local government area located in the Murray region of New South Wales, Australia, formed in 2016 from the merger of the Corowa Shire with neighbouring Urana Shire.
The council comprises an area of 5,685 square kilometres (2,195 sq mi) and covers the urban areas of Corowa and Mulwala and the surrounding cropping and pastoral region to the north. It is bounded to the south by the Murray River and the state of Victoria. At the time of its establishment the council had an estimated population of 12,602.
The inaugural mayor of Federation Council is Patrick Bourke from Urana, elected by his fellow councillors on 26 September 2017.

## Main towns and villages

In addition to the main urban centres of Corowa, Urana and Mulwala, localities in the area include Balldale, Boree Creek, Buraja, Coreen, Daysdale, Hopefield, Howlong, Lowesdale, Morundah, Oaklands, Rand, Rennie and Savernake.

## Heritage listings

The Federation Council has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* Corowa Courthouse
* Corowa railway station
* Corowa Flour Mill
* Savernake Station
* Urana Soldiers' Memorial Hall

## Council

Federation Council comprise nine councillors elected proportionally as a single ward. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office.
The interim administrator of the Federation Council was solicitor and former professional rugby league footballer Mike Eden, until elections were held on 9 September 2017
The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021.

## Past councillors
### 2017−present

| Year | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor | Councillor |
| 2017 | Shaun Whitechurch (Ind.) | Patrick Bourke (Ind.) | David Longley (Ind.) | Paul Miegel (Ind.) | Fred Longmire (Ind.) | Bronwyn Thomas (Ind.) | Gail Law (Ind.) | Norm Wales (Ind.) | Andrew Kennedy (Ind.) |
| 2021 | Shaun Whitechurch (Ind.) | Patrick Bourke (Ind.) | David Longley (Ind.) | David Fahey (Ind.) | Aaron Nicholls (Ind.) | Sally Hughes (FFF/Ind.) | Gail Law (Ind.) | Rowena Black (Ind.) | Andrew Kennedy (Ind.) |
| 2024 | Shaun Whitechurch (Ind.) | Patrick Bourke (Ind.) | David Longley (Ind.) | David Fahey (Ind.) | Aaron Nicholls (Ind.) | Sally Hughes (FFF/Ind.) | Gail Law (Ind.) | Rowena Black (Ind.) | Andrew Kennedy (Ind.) |

## Election results
### 2024

2024 New South Wales local elections: Federation :
| Party | Party | Candidate |
| | Independent (Group A) | 1. Derek Schoen 2. Michael Robson 3. Melanie Trevethan 4. Matthew Mahon 5. Theresea Hughes |
| | Independent (Group B) | 1. Patrick Bourke 2. David Fahey 3. Leeanne Dalitz 4. John Doyle 5. Mareeta Corcoran |
| | Independent (Group C) | 1. Shaun Whitechurch 2. Norman Wales 3. Daniel Webb 4. Brooke Ollington 5. Katrina Whitechurch |
| | Independent (Group D) | 1. Andrew Kennedy 2. Chanade Seiler 3. Nathan Parker 4. Robert Purtle 5. Nicole Urquhart |
| | Independent (Group E) | 1. David Harrison 2. Ray McLarty 3. Julianne Whyte 4. Dean Druce 5. John Crothers |
| | Independent (Group F) | 1. Richard Nixon 2. Robert Pearce 3. Rowley Bennett 4. Rosie Dye 5. Susan Curran |
| | Howlong First | 1. Cheryl Cook 2. Susan Wearne 3. Michael Gardiner 4. Damien Glass 5. David Longley |
| | Independent | Rowena Black |
| | Independent | Sally Hughes |
| | Ind. Socialist Alliance | Todd Beaton |
| | Independent | Frederick Longmire |
| | Independent | David Bott |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout |

### 2021

| Elected councillor | Party |
| Patrick Bourke | Independent (Group A) |
| David Fahey | Independent (Group A) |
| Andrew Kennedy | Independent (Group C) |
| Aaron Nicholls | Independent (Group E) |
| Shaun Whitechurch | Independent (Group D) |
| Sally Hughes | Independent (Group B) |
| David Longley | Independent |
| Rowena Black | Independent |
| Gail Law | Independent |
2021 New South Wales local elections: Federation :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent (Group A) | Independent (Group A) | 1,616 | 21.8 |
| | Independent (Group C) | Independent (Group C) | 1,117 | 15.1 |
| | Independent (Group E) | Independent (Group E) | 932 | 12.6 |
| | Independent | David Longley | 873 | 11.8 |
| | Independent (Group D) | Independent (Group D) | 785 | 10.6 |
| | Independent (Group B) | Independent (Group B) | 699 | 9.4 |
| | Independent | Rowena Black | 497 | 6.7 |
| | Independent | Gail Law | 280 | 3.8 |
| | Independent | David Harrison | 251 | 3.4 |
| | Independent | Janette Outram | 249 | 3.4 |
| | Independent | Mick Robson | 103 | 1.4 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 7,402 | 94.0 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,780 | 6.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,877 | 79.6 |

## History

The Federation Council was created by the Government of New South Wales as a result of an amalgamation of some local government bodies through a reform program between 2013 and 2016. As part of the review, all New South Wales local government authorities were assessed by the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal on their historical and projected demographic data, financial sustainability, and other measures including their impact on the State's resources. Those council deemed "unfit" were asked to nominate their preferred merger partner in order to achieve economies of scale. Corowa and Urana shires both nominated to merge with each other. In addition Lockhart Shire nominated Urana Shire as a preferred merger partner. In December 2015, the Minister for Local Government Paul Toole proposed the amalgamation of all three Councils. All three Councils opposed the proposal and a group of residents in the town of Mulwala in Corowa Shire threatened to secede and join Berrigan Shire if the three-way merger went ahead. Corowa Shire put forward the alternate proposal being a merger of Corowa and Urana shires, despite objections from Urana Shire. The Minister accepted the Corowa and Urana merger proposal and the Federation Council was proclaimed on 12 May 2016.