Great Lakes Council is a Local Government Area (LGA) in New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 on the shores of Port Stephens

Port Stephens

Port Stephens is a large natural harbour located about north-east of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It lies wholly within the Port Stephens Local Government Area although its northern shoreline forms the boundary between the Port Stephens and Great Lakes LGAs...

, Myall Lakes

Myall Lakes

The Myall Lakes are a series of fresh water lakes on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, Australia in Great Lakes Council. The lakes are adjacent to the coast about north of Sydney....

 and Wallis Lake. It is on the Pacific Highway

Pacific Highway (Australia)

The Pacific Highway is a major transport route along part of the east coast of Australia and is part of Australia's national route 1.It is 960 km long and links Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, along the coast, via Gosford, Newcastle, Taree, Port...

 and the Lakes Way.

Towns and localities

• Forster
  Forster, New South Wales
  Forster is a large coastal town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Great Lakes Council LGA, about north-north-east of Sydney. It is immediately adjacent to its twin, Tuncurry, which is the smaller of the two towns...
  
  
• Tuncurry
  Tuncurry, New South Wales
  Tuncurry is a coastal town in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, in the Great Lakes Council LGA, about north north east of Sydney. It is immediately adjacent to its twin town of Forster, which is the larger of the two towns....
  
  
• Bulahdelah

• Boolambayte
• Booral
• Bundabah

• Bungwahl
  Bungwahl, New South Wales
  Bungwahl is a small town in the Australian state of New South Wales, near Myall Lakes. It is close to lakes and beaches and contains the turnoff to Seal Rocks which gives access to the lakes such as Nerani, Stewarts Wharf, The Hearts and various camping sites around the lakes....
  
  
• Burraduc
• Coolongolook
• Crawford River
• Failford
  Failford, New South Wales
  Failford is a small rural area of the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia in Great Lakes Shire.It is situated 10 minutes north of Forster, Failford is a water skiing and boating location with the nearby Wallamba River, which runs between Nabiac and Tuncurry.Failford has a number of...
  
  
• Girvan
• Hawks Nest
  Hawks Nest, New South Wales
  Hawks Nest is a suburb of the Great Lakes Council Local Government Area in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia, located north of Port Stephens between the Tasman Sea and the Myall River...
  
  
• Limeburners Creek
• Markwell
• Minimbah
• Nabiac
• Pacific Palms
  Pacific Palms, New South Wales
  Pacific Palms is small coastal township in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, in Great Lakes Council.The locality is bounded by Smith's Lake to the south and Green Point Drive to the north, and includes the suburbs of Smith's Lake, Blueys, Elizabeth and Boomerang Beaches and...
  
  
• Pindimar
• Rosenthal
• Smiths Lake
  Smiths Lake, New South Wales
  Smiths Lake is a small village in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia in the Great Lakes Council LGA. It is approximately north of Sydney. It is named after the lake it is situated around. At the 2006 census, Smiths Lake had a population of 1,036 people.- The Lake :Smiths Lake...
  
  
• Stroud Road
• Stroud
  Stroud, New South Wales
  Stroud is a small country town one hour north of Newcastle, New South Wales. It is part of the Great Lakes Council area. The major road through Stroud is the Bucketts Way...
  
  
• Tea Gardens
  Tea Gardens, New South Wales
  Tea Gardens is a locality in the Great Lakes Council Local Government Area, located near the southern extremity of the Mid North Coast and the northern extremity of the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia....
  
  
• Topi Topi
• Upper Myall
• Wang Wauk
• Wootton

Demographics

In the 2006 Census of Population and Housing there were 32,766 usual residents living in Great Lakes Shire Council. Of this count, 16,091 (or 49%) were males and 16,675 (or 51%) were females.

By age, 16% of the population was under 15 years old, 56% were between 15 and 65, and 28% were over 65 years old.
Great Lakes Council region has the highest median age in NSW at 51.1 years of age.

Economy

According to the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, the median individual income was $338 per week (equal to approximately $17,624 per year). The median family income in 2006 was $747 per week (equal to approximately $38,951 per year); and, the median household income in 2006 was $611 per week (equal to approximately $31,859 per year).

There were 10,619 people employed in 2006 (to give an employment to working age population ratio of 0.58), and 1,088 people unemployed. The most common occupations were Technicians and Trades Workers (16%); Labourers (15%); and, Managers (14%). The top 5 industries for employment were School Education (4.8%); Cafes, Restaurants and Takeaway Food Services (4.6%); Accommodation (3.4%); Residential Building Construction (3.4%); and, Residential Care Services (3.3%).

Housing

In the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, the median housing loan repayment was $1,161 per month. This equated to marginally under 48% of median household income.

The median rent in 2006 was $171 per week. This equated to just under 28% of median household income.

The average household size was 2.2 persons.

Environment

The Great Lakes is home to the globally significant, Ramsar Convention

Ramsar Convention

The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...

 listed Myall Lakes

Myall Lakes

The Myall Lakes are a series of fresh water lakes on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, Australia in Great Lakes Council. The lakes are adjacent to the coast about north of Sydney....

 wetlands. These wetlands are an important foundation for the economies of the suburbs of the Great Lakes Council Local Government Area, particularly the recreational fisheries and tourism sectors.

Council

Great Lakes Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally. The mayor is not directly elected. The current makeup of the council is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Independents Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...  and Unaffiliated	7
	Australian Labor Party Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...	2
	Total	9

The current council, elected in 2008, is:

Councillor		Party	Notes
	Jan McWilliams	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Mayor
	Len Roberts	Unaffiliated
	John Weate	Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...	Deputy Mayor
	Karen Hutchinson	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Elected on Jan McWilliams's ticket
	Carol McCaskie	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	Elected on Len Roberts's ticket
	Linda Gill	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
	Mike Tuffy	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
	John Stephens	Unaffiliated
	Leigh Vaughan	Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...