Port Macquarie-Hastings Council facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Port Macquarie-Hastings New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Population	86,762 (2021 census) 88,311 (2022 est.)
• Density	23.5376/km2 (60.962/sq mi)
Established	1 January 1981 (Municipality of Hastings) 13 July 2005 (Port Macquarie-Hastings Council)
Area	3,686.1 km2 (1,423.2 sq mi)
Mayor	Peta Pinson (National)
Council seat	Port Macquarie
Region	Mid North Coast
State electorate(s)	Port Macquarie Oxley
Federal Division(s)	Cowper Lyne
Website	Port Macquarie-Hastings
LGAs around Port Macquarie-Hastings: Walcha Kempsey Tasman Sea Walcha Port Macquarie-Hastings Tasman Sea Mid-Coast Mid-Coast Tasman Sea

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is a local government area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.

The area is located adjacent to the Hastings River, the Pacific Highway, the Oxley Highway and the North Coast railway line. Major population centres in the local government area are Port Macquarie, Camden Haven, Wauchope, Lake Cathie and Kendall.

The mayor of the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council since 4 August 2017 is Cr. Peta Pinson, an independent politician who joined the Nationals in 2023.

Port Macquarie suburbs

• Blackmans Point
• Port Macquarie CBD (not a suburb)
• Fernbank Creek
• Flynns Beach
• Innes View
• Lake Innes
• Limeburners Creek
• North Shore
• Port Macquarie
• Port Macquarie West
• Sancrox
• Sovereign Hills
• Tacking Point
• The Hatch
• Thrumster

Towns and localities

Towns and localities (including Port Macquarie suburbs) in the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council are:

Demographics

At the 2021 Census, there were 86,762 people in the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area, of these 47.9% were male and 52.1% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5.5% of the population, significantly higher than the national average. The median age of people in the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area was 49 years; eleven years higher than the national median. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 15.9% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 29.1% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 47.9% were married and 15.4% were either divorced or separated.

Population growth in the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area between the 2001 Census and the 2006 Census was 6.68%; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 Census was 6.23%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area was generally on par with the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area was slightly below the national average.

At the 2011 Census, the proportion of residents in the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Celtic exceeded 83% of all residents (national average was 65.2%). In excess of 64% of all residents in the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council area nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 Census, which was higher than the national average of 50.2%. Meanwhile, as at the Census date, compared to the national average, households in the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (3.6%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4%); and a significantly higher proportion (93.7%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).

Selected historical census data for Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area
Census year			2001	2006	2011	2016
Population		Estimated residents on census night	64,146	68,430	72,696	78,539
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales			&&&&&&&&&&&&&029.&&&&&029th	&&&&&&&&&&&&&028.&&&&&028th
		% of New South Wales population			1.05%	1.05%
		% of Australian population	0.34%	0.34%	0.34%	0.34%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		English			33.4%	32.9%
		Australian			32.8%	31.6%
		Irish			9.5%	9.6%
		Scottish			7.7%	7.9%
		German			2.8%	2.9%
Language, top responses (other than English)		German	0.3%	0.3%	0.3%	0.2%
		Spanish	n/c	n/c	0.1%	0.2%
		French	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%
		Mandarin	n/c	n/c	n/c	0.2%
		Italian	0.2%	0.2%	0.2%	0.2%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		No religion	11.5%	14.5%	18.1%	25.6%
		Anglican	33.1%	31.3%	29.4%	24.6%
		Catholic	24.2%	24.2%	24.7%	23.1%
		Not stated	n/c	n/c	n/c	8.8%
		Uniting Church	8.4%	7.2%	6.0%	4.8%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$361	A$447	A$540
		% of Australian median income		77.5%	77.5%	81.6%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$679	A$1,008	A$1,300
		% of Australian median income		66.1%	68.1%	75.0%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$891	A$837	A$1,042
		% of Australian median income		76.1%	67.8%	72.5%

Council

Current composition and election methods

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is composed of nine councillors, including the mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is directly elected while the eight other councillors are elected proportionally as one entire ward. The most recent election was held on 10 September 2016, and the makeup of the council is as follows:

On 8 May 2017, the elected mayor since 2012, Peter Besseling, resigned effective immediately to take up an executive business position. Deputy Mayor Lisa Intemann served as acting mayor until a by-election was held for the mayoral position on 29 July 2017. On 4 August 2017, the final results were declared and Peta Pinson became mayor.

The current council, elected in 2021, is:

Election results

2021