Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council


Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council is a local government area located in the South West Slopes and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a merger of the Cootamundra and Gundagai shires. Originally named Gundagai Council, the name was changed Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council on 7 September 2016.
The council has an area of and occupies the slopes of the western side of the Great Dividing Range between Yass and Tumut and to the north the beginning of the northern part of the Riverina plains. At the time of its establishment the council had an estimated population of.
The mayor of the Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council is Councillor Abb McAlister, who was elected after the inaugural Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council election which was held on 9 September 2017.

Controversy at creation

Around the same time as the state government was announcing the mergers of shires and councils, the mayor of the Gundagai Shire, Abb McAlister, lodged papers with the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales to prevent it.
Signs protesting the amalgamation were prominently displayed throughout Gundagai for several years.

Towns and localities

The following towns and localities are located within Gundagai Council:

Demographics

The population for the predecessor councils was estimated in 2015 as:
Once elected, the Gundagai Council will comprise nine Councillors elected proportionally in a single ward. All Councillors are expected to be elected for a fixed four-year term of office at elections to be held on 9 September 2017. In the meantime, Christine Ferguson was appointed as council administrator, and Ken Tretheway was appointed as Interim General Manager at creation of the new council. Ferguson is a farmer in the Gundagai area and former state president of the National Party. She had also been a councillor of Gundagai Shire during the 1990s.