Bega Valley Shire


The Bega Valley Shire is a local government area located adjacent to the south-eastern coastline of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire was formed in 1981 with the amalgamation of the Municipality of Bega, Imlay Shire and Mumbulla Shire. The estimated population as at the was 33,253.
The area extends from Bermagui in the north to the Victorian border in the south and includes the towns of Bega, Tathra, Merimbula, Tura Beach, Wolumla, Cobargo, Bemboka, Pambula, Pambula Beach and the former whaling port, tourism hotspot, and major port of Eden. Smaller localities include:
The Bega Valley Shire is also known as the Sapphire Coast for tourism and marketing purposes.
The Shire is the third largest local government area in coastal New South Wales, with an area of, and has the longest coastline of any local government area in the state. It is sparsely populated, largely because 75% of the area belongs to various national parks and state forests. Beyond national parks and state forests, the other predominant land use in the Bega Valley is agriculture, particularly dairy farming. Fishing, oyster harvesting, tourism and retail are also important industries.
The Mayor of Bega Valley Shire Council is Sharon Tapscott, elected at an extraordinary meeting of Council on 6 May 2020 for the remainder of the mayoral term until September 2020.

Demographics

Council

In August 1999 the Bega Valley Shire Council was sacked and an administrator was put in place until 2002 where a new council was elected.

Current composition and election method

Bega Valley Shire Council is composed of nine Councillors elected proportionally as one entire 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 mayoral election was held on 6 May 2020 at an extraordinary meeting of Council, and the makeup of the Council is as follows:
The current Council, elected in 2016, in order of election, is: