| Bundaberg Region Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Location withinQueensland | |||||||||||||||
| Population | 99,215 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 15.4276/km2 (39.957/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 2008 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 6,431 km2 (2,483.0 sq mi)[2] | ||||||||||||||
| Mayor | Helen Blackburn | ||||||||||||||
| Council seat | Bundaberg | ||||||||||||||
| Region | Wide Bay–Burnett | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | |||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | |||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
| Website | Bundaberg Region | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
TheBundaberg Region is alocal government area in theWide Bay–Burnett region ofQueensland, Australia, about 360 kilometres (220 mi) north ofBrisbane, the state capital. It is centred on the city ofBundaberg, and also contains a significant rural area surrounding the city. It was created in 2008 from a merger of theCity of Bundaberg with the Shires ofBurnett,Isis andKolan.
The Bundaberg Regional Council, which administers the Region, has an estimated operating budget ofA$89 million.
In the2021 census, the Bundaberg Region had a population of 99,215 people.[1]
Prior to the 2008 amalgamation, the Bundaberg Region existed as four distinct local government areas:
Local government in the Bundaberg area began on 11 November 1879 with the creation of 74 divisions around Queensland under theDivisional Boards Act 1879. These included theBarolin,Burrum andKolan divisions.[3][4]
The first eight years saw several areas break away and become self-governing due to increases in local population. The first was Bundaberg itself, which with an area of 4.1 square kilometres (1.6 sq mi) and a population of 1,192, split from Barolin on 22 April 1881 to form theMunicipality of Bundaberg under theLocal Government Act 1878. Areas to the south (Woongarra) and north (Gooburrum) of theBurnett River split from Kolan on 31 December 1885, and Barolin on 30 January 1886 respectively, while on 1 January 1887, theIsis Division further to the south split away from Burrum.[5] Thus by 1887, the Municipality of Bundaberg and the Barolin, Gooburrum, Isis, Kolan and Woongarra Divisions covered the entire territory of what is now the Bundaberg Region.
On 31 March 1903, after the passage of theLocal Authorities Act 1902, the Municipality became a Town while the Divisions became Shires. On 22 November 1913, Bundaberg was proclaimed a City.[6]
On 21 December 1917, theShire of Barolin was abolished and its area split between theCity of Bundaberg and theShire of Woongarra.[7] Bundaberg grew to 45.2 square kilometres (17.5 sq mi) and was united with what was then its entire suburban extent.
On 21 November 1991, theElectoral and Administrative Review Commission, created two years earlier, produced its second report, and recommended that local government boundaries in the Bundaberg area be rationalised. TheLocal Government (Bundaberg and Burnett) Regulation 1993 was gazetted on 17 December 1993, and on 30 March 1994, the Shires of Gooburrum and Woongarra were abolished, with most transferred into a newShire of Burnett. A portion of Woongarra was transferred to the City, more than doubling its area and increasing its population by 8,200 in 1991 census terms.
On 15 March 2008, under theLocal Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007 passed by theParliament of Queensland on 10 August 2007, theCity of Bundaberg merged with the Shires ofBurnett,Isis andKolan to form the Bundaberg Region.[8]
Although the Commission recommended the council be undivided with ten councillors and a mayor, the gazetted form was that of 10 divisions each electing a single councillor, plus a mayor representing the whole region.
Those elected at the 2024 local government election were:[9]
| Term start | Term end | Mayor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | May 2012 | Lorraine Pyefinch | [10] |
| May 2012 | March 2016 | Malcolm Foreman | [11] |
| March 2016 | March 2024 | Jack Dempsey | [12][13] |
| March 2024 | current | Helen Blackburn | [14] |
The Bundaberg Region includes the following settlements:
1 – split withGladstone Region
The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008.
| Year | Population (Region total) | Population (Bundaberg) | Population (Gooburrum) | Population (Woongarra) | Population (Isis) | Population (Kolan) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 20,731 | 9,276 | 2,922 | 2,513 | 3,500 | 2,520 |
| 1933 | 25,387 | 11,466 | 3,915 | 3,287 | 3,778 | 2,941 |
| 1947 | 29,237 | 15,926 | 3,825 | 3,345 | 3,639 | 2,502 |
| 1954 | 34,531 | 19,951 | 4,131 | 3,704 | 4,243 | 2,502 |
| 1961 | 37,968 | 22,839 | 4,372 | 4,149 | 3,951 | 2,657 |
| 1966 | 41,444 | 25,402 | 4,776 | 4,934 | 3,718 | 2,614 |
| 1971 | 43,332 | 27,324 | 4,519 | 5,150 | 3,666 | 2,673 |
| 1976 | 51,084 | 30,456 | 5,227 | 8,791 | 3,926 | 2,684 |
| 1981 | 52,444 | 30,937 | 5,261 | 9,865 | 4,023 | 2,358 |
| 1986 | 55,990 | 31,427 | 5,917 | 11,915 | 4,082 | 2,649 |
| 1991 | 64,188 | 32,737* | 7,117 | 16,491 | 4,825 | 3,018 |
| 1996 | 73,846 | 42,554 | 21,218 | 5,878 | 4,196 | |
| 2001 | 77,323 | 43,146 | 23,598 | 6,045 | 4,534 | |
| 2006 | 84,434 | 45,901 | 27,232 | 6,663 | 4,638 | |
| 2011 | 89,810 | [16] | ||||
| 2016 | 93,897 | [17] | ||||
| 2021 | 99,215 | [1] | ||||
* The population of the 1996 area of Bundaberg in 1991 was 41,219.
The Bundaberg Regional Council operate public libraries inBundaberg Central,Childers,Gin Gin, andWoodgate Beach.[18]
24°49′57.65″S152°27′35.69″E / 24.8326806°S 152.4599139°E /-24.8326806; 152.4599139