Wikipedia

Fraser Coast Region

The Fraser Coast Region is a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about 250 kilometres (160 mi) north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is centred on the twin cities of Hervey Bay and Maryborough and also contains K'gari. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Cities of Maryborough and Hervey Bay and the Shires of Woocoo and most of Tiaro. The resident population at the 2021 census was 111,032 and the estimated population in 2023 was 117,940.[3]

Fraser Coast Region
Queensland
Location within Queensland
Population111,032 (2021 census)[1]
 • Density15.6273/km2 (40.4745/sq mi)
Established2008
Area7,105 km2 (2,743.3 sq mi)[2]
MayorGeorge Seymour
Council seatHervey Bay
RegionWide Bay–Burnett
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)
WebsiteFraser Coast Region
LGAs around Fraser Coast Region:
Bundaberg Bundaberg Coral Sea
North Burnett Fraser Coast Region Coral Sea
Gympie Gympie Gympie

The 2024-2025 budget of the Fraser Coast Regional Council is $477 million.[4]

Eli Creek is the largest creek on the eastern beach of Fraser Island

In the 2021 census, the Fraser Coast Region had a population of 111,032 people.[1]

History

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Butchulla (also known as Batjala, Badtjala, Badjela and Badjala) is the language of the Fraser Coast region, including K'gari. Butchulla language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Fraser Coast Regional Council, particularly the towns of Maryborough and Hervey Bay extending south towards Noosa and northwest to Howard.[5]

Prior to the 2008 amalgamation, the Fraser Coast Region existed as four distinct local government areas:[citation needed]

On 10 March 1861, the Municipal Borough of Maryborough, governed under the Municipalities Act 1858 which had been inherited from New South Wales upon the separation of Queensland in 1859, was proclaimed, becoming the sixth municipal government in Queensland. Henry Palmer was appointed as its first Mayor.[citation needed]

On 11 November 1879, when the Divisional Boards Act 1879 came into effect, the Antigua and Burrum Divisions were created around what is now Hervey Bay, and on 15 September 1883, the Granville Division was established to serve the district surrounding Maryborough. A later division, Howard, was split away from the Division of Isis in 1900.

With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, all four divisions became Shires on 31 March 1903, and Maryborough became a Town. On 7 January 1905 Maryborough achieved City status, and a Town Hall was built on the corner of Kent and Adelaide Streets and became the administrative centre of the City.

At around this time, the Shire of Degilbo, later renamed Biggenden, split away on 3 June 1905. On 23 December 1905, Burrum was renamed Pialba.[citation needed]

On 17 February 1917, the Granville, Antigua and Pialba shires were dissolved, and split between a new Shire of Burrum and the Shire of Woocoo, which had been gazetted three years earlier. By the 1920s the Hervey Bay area was rapidly expanding due to continuing growth in the primary industries such as sugar cane, citrus, pineapples, beef cattle and fishing, as well as investment in transport infrastructure. In the 1950s and 1960s, population and development increased, and the coastal towns slowly merged into a single urban area.

On 20 December 1975, but effective from 27 March 1976 local government elections, the Shire of Burrum was renamed the Shire of Hervey Bay. With the new focus on the coastal region, 1,086.4 km2 (419.5 sq mi) of its area, with an estimated population of 1,119, was annexed by the City of Maryborough, while 1,269.0 km2 (490.0 sq mi) with an estimated population of 2,629 was annexed by the Shire of Woocoo.

In September 1977, the Shire of Hervey Bay received Town status, and on 18 February 1984 it became a City.

The Local Government (Maryborough and Woocoo) Regulation 1993, which took effect on 31 March 1994, effected the City's annexation of about 700 km2 (270 sq mi) of the Shire of Woocoo. At this time, Maryborough was resubdivided into eight divisions each with one councillor, plus an elected mayor.

On 15 March 2008, under the Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by the Parliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, the City of Hervey Bay merged with the City of Maryborough, Shire of Woocoo and the northern part of Tiaro to form the Fraser Coast Region.[6]

 
Urangan Seawall, Pier in the background, Urangan
 
The Esplanade, Urangan
 
Giant whale sculpture at Hervey Bay

Wards

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The council consists of ten councillors and a mayor, elected for a four-year term. Each of the councillors represent one of the ten divisions. The next election is due in 2028.

Towns and localities

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The Fraser Coast Region includes the following settlements:

1 - split with Gympie Region

Libraries

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The Fraser Coast Regional Council operates public libraries at Burrum Heads, Pialba (Hervey Bay), Howard, Maryborough (John Anderson), Maryborough (Toys and Special Needs), and Tiaro (Tom Gee Memorial).[8]

Demographics

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The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008. The 2011 census was the first for the new Region.

Year Population
(Region total) 		Population
(Maryborough) 		Population
(Hervey Bay) 		Population
(Woocoo) 		Population
(Tiaro)
1933 22,170 11,415 6,835 777 3,143
1947 26,453 14,395 8,642 750 2,666
1954 29,587 17,952 8,408 660 2,567
1961 30,962 19,126 8,991 640 2,205
1966 31,607 19,659 9,271 567 2,110
1971 32,347 19,257 10,737 491 1,862
1976 37,118 21,527 10,304 3,412 1,875
1981 44,454 21,530 16,402 4,456 2,066
1986 48,308 22,430 20,660 2,700 2,518
1991 60,560 22,977 30,867 3,429 3,287
1996 74,210 24,681 42,391 2,902 4,236
2001 77,837 24,465 45,959 2,964 4,449
2006 90,806 25,705 56,427 3,351 5,323
2011 95,312
2016 101,504 [9]
2021 111,032 [1]

Current Councillors/Mayor

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The current mayor of the Fraser Coast Regional Council is George Seymour elected in a by-election held in May 2018 and re-elected in 2020 and 2024.[10][11] The by-election followed the dismissal of Chris Loft as Mayor on 16 February 2018 by the Minister for Local Government, Stirling Hinchliffe who alleged Mr Loft made "serial breaches of the Local Government principles outlined in the Local Government Act."[12][13]

As at 2024, the councillors are

  • Cr Michelle Byrnes
  • Cr Phil Truscott
  • Cr Paul Truscott
  • Cr Daniel Sanderson
  • Cr Michelle Govers
  • Cr Lachlan Cosgrove
  • Cr John Weiland
  • Cr Denis Chapman (Deputy Mayor)
  • Cr Sara Faraj
  • Cr Zane O'Keefe

List of mayors

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Fraser Coast Region (LGA)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.  
  2. ^ "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Fraser Coast Regional Council - Population and Dwellings". idcommunity. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Budget 2024/2025". Fraser Coast Regional Council. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Indigenous languages map of Queensland". State Library of Queensland. 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  6. ^ Queensland Local Government Reform Commission (July 2007). Report of the Local Government Reform Commission (PDF). Vol. 2. pp. 129–135. ISBN 978-1-921057-11-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  7. ^ "Duckinwilla (entry 46644)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Location and hours". Fraser Coast Regional Council. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  9. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Fraser Coast Region (LGA)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.  
  10. ^ a b "2018 Fraser Coast RC Mayoral By-Election - Fraser Coast Regional Council - Undivided Council Summary". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 14 May 2018. Archived from the original on 14 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  11. ^ a b Goetze, Eliza (6 May 2018). "Fraser Coast voters choose George Seymour as new Mayor in by-election, replacing sacked councillor, Chris Loft". ABC News. Archived from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Fraser Coast Mayor Chris Loft sacked by Local Government Minister". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  13. ^ a b "More Queensland council turmoil with Fraser Coast mayor sacked". The Australian. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  14. ^ "2008 Fraser Coast Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  15. ^ "2012 Fraser Coast Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  16. ^ "2016 Fraser Coast Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  17. ^ "Sacked Fraser Coast mayor Chris Loft to fight dismissal in court". Brisbanetimes. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  18. ^ "2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 2020. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
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