Wakool Shire was a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

in the

Riverina The Riverina () is an agricultural list of regions in Australia, region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, a climate with significant seaso ...

region of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. The Shire was located between the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray; Ngarrindjeri language, Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta language, Yorta Yorta: ''Dhungala'' or ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is List of rivers of Australia, Aust ...

and the

Murrumbidgee River The Murrumbidgee River () is a major tributary of the Murray River within the Murray–Darling basin and the second longest river in Australia. It flows through the Australian state of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, desce ...

and adjacent to the

Sturt Highway Sturt Highway is an Australian national highway in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. It is an important road link for the transport of passengers and freight between Sydney and Adelaide and the regions along the route. Initiall ...

. Towns in the Shire are Barham,

Moulamein Moulamein is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray River Council local government area. At the , Moulamein had a population of 484 . Moulamein is the oldest town in the Riverina. The town is located between Balranald, Hay, ...

Tooleybuc Tooleybuc is a town in the western Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia. The town is located on the Mallee Highway, southwest of the state capital, Sydney and north west of Melbourne. Situated on the banks of the Murray River acro ...

Wakool Wakool is a town in the western Murray region of New South Wales, Australia. Wakool is in the Murray River Council local government area, south west of the state capital, Sydney and north-west of Melbourne. At the , Wakool had a population o ...

and

Koraleigh Koraleigh is a small village in the west of the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The village is on the Murray River and in Murray River Council local government area. Koraleigh is northeast of Nyah, Victoria and south of Tooley ...

. The last

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Wakool Shire was Clr. Neil Gorey, an unaligned politician.

Amalgamation

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the

NSW Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...

Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the Wakool Shire merge with the

Murray Shire Murray Shire was a local government area in the Murray region of south western New South Wales, Australia. It included the towns of Moama and Mathoura. It was abolished on 12 May 2016 and its area merged with the Wakool Shire to establish th ...

to form a new council with an area of and support a population of approximately 11,500. Wakool Shire was abolished on 12 May 2016 and along with neighbouring

, the area was included in the

Murray River Council The Murray River Council is a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. This area was formed in 2016 from the merger of Murray Shire with Wakool Shire. The combined area comprises and covers the northern ban ...

local government area.

Council

Composition and election method

At the time of dissolution, Wakool Shire Council was composed of six

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

s elected proportionally as three separate

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

, each electing two councillors. All councillors were elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor was elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012. In the B and C Wards, only two candidates, being those below, nominated for election. There being no additional candidates, the election for these wards was uncontested. In the A Ward, an election was held. The makeup of the council is as follows: The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election, is:

References

Former local government areas of New South Wales 2016 disestablishments in Australia {{Riverina-geo-stub