Wikipedia

Lockyer Valley Region

(Redirected from Lockyer Valley Regional Council)
This article is about local government. For general information about the district, see Lockyer Valley.

The Lockyer Valley Region is a local government area (LGA) in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia. The region is located between the cities of Ipswich and Toowoomba, and is bordered by the Somerset and Southern Downs regions to the north and south, respectively. Lockyer Valley was created in 2008 from a merger of the former shires of Gatton and Laidley. The Lockyer Valley Regional Council has an estimated operating budget of A$35m.[citation needed]

Lockyer Valley Region
Queensland
Location within South East Queensland
Population41,011 (2018)[1]
 • Density18.074/km2 (46.813/sq mi)
Established2008
Area2,269 km2 (876.1 sq mi)[1]
MayorTanya Milligan
Council seatGatton
RegionWest Moreton
State electorate(s)Lockyer
Federal division(s)Wright
WebsiteLockyer Valley Region
LGAs around Lockyer Valley Region:
Toowoomba Somerset Somerset
Toowoomba Lockyer Valley Region Ipswich
Southern Downs Southern Downs Scenic Rim

The region is named after the British soldier and explorer Major Edmund Lockyer (1784-1860) who surveyed the Brisbane River for approximately 150 miles on the instructions of the Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, Sir Thomas Brisbane.[citation needed]


Forest Hill railway station, 1914

Prior to European settlement, the Lockyer Valley region was home to the Kitabul Aboriginal people.[citation needed]

Tarampa Division, as it was then known, was created on 15 January 1880 under the Divisional Boards Act 1879, with its first board meeting being held on 20 February 1880. On 25 April 1888, the Laidley district broke away and separately incorporated as the Laidley Division, and later on 25 January 1890, the Forest Hill area moved from Tarampa to Laidley.[2] On 1 July 1902, the town of Laidley was created as a separate municipality with its own Borough Council.[citation needed]

With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, the borough and divisions became a town and shires respectively on 31 March 1903. The town council was dissolved on 8 February 1917, and Laidley absorbed part of the Shire of Rosewood.[citation needed]

On 3 September 1938, Tarampa was renamed the Shire of Gatton.[3] On 19 March 1949, it grew to incorporate parts of the former Shires of Drayton and Highfields, while losing some of its original area to the City of Toowoomba and Shire of Crows Nest.[4]

In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that Gatton and Laidley amalgamate, uniting the major farming, cropping and horticultural production area of South East Queensland under one local authority. While both councils opposed the amalgamation, they identified each other as preferred partners if it had to go ahead.[5] On 15 March 2008, the two Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect six councillors and a mayor to the Lockyer Valley Regional Council.[5]

After the deadly 2010–11 Queensland floods, which destroyed the town of Grantham, the council responded quickly to relocate the town to non-flood prone land.[6] The council purchased freehold land adjoining the existing town for the voluntary resettlement of eligible residents.[6] To speed the recovery process normal land use planning procedures were dropped although there was a public consultation period. Support from the state government was muted, partly because the new urban development was contrary to the South East Queensland Regional Plan.[citation needed]

The council has also responded to floods by installing a network of cameras around the region which can be viewed by members of the public on a web page.[7]

Towns and localities

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The main street of Laidley, 2011
 
Warrego Highway looking towards Toowoomba

The Lockyer Valley Region includes the following settlements:

1 - split with Somerset Region

Population

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Prior to 2008, the populations given relate to the previous component entities. The 2011 census marks the first for the region to be recorded as a single area.

Year Population
(Region total) 		Population
(Gatton) 		Population
(Laidley)
1933 11,153 6,053 5,100
1947 11,158 6,403 4,755
1954 11,754 7,137 4,617
1961 12,387 7,594 4,793
1966 12,661 7,814 4,847
1971 12,592 8,099 4,493
1976 13,324 8,689 4,635
1981 15,055 9,675 5,380
1986 18,546 11,734 6,812
1991 22,273 13,810 8,463
1996 26,846 14,730 12,116
2001 27,561 14,925 12,636
2006 29,883 15,572 14,311
Population of Lockyer Valley Region
Year Population Notes
2011 34,954 [8]
2016 38,609 [9]
2021 41,101

Council

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The Lockyer Valley Regional Council remains undivided and its elected body consists of six councillors and a popularly elected mayor, elected for a four-year term. A deputy mayor is also appointed by council for a four-year term.[citation needed]

Current composition

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The current council, elected in 2020, is:

Position Councillor Party
Mayor   Tanya Milligan Independent
Councillor   Jason Cook Independent
  Michael Hagan Independent
  Janice Holstein Independent
  Brett Qualischefski Independent LNP
  Rick Vela Independent
  Chris Wilson A Better Lockyer

Mayors

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Steve Jones, former mayor of Gatton, was elected as first mayor of the Lockyer Valley Region. He died in office on 19 February 2016. Deputy mayor Tanya Milligan was acting mayor until she was elected as mayor in her own right on 16 April 2016.[10]

2008−present

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No. Portrait Mayor Party Term start Term end Council control
(term)
1   Steve Jones Independent 15 March 2008 19 February 2016 † Independents majority
(2008–present)
−   Tanya Milligan Independent 19 February 2016 16 April 2012
2 16 April 2012 incumbent

Deputy mayors

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No. Portrait Mayor Party Term start Term end Mayor
  Tanya Milligan Independent 2012 19 February 2016 Jones
(Independent)
  Jason Cook Independent 2016 incumbent Milligan
(Independent)

Past councillors

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2008−present

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Year Councillor Party Councillor Party Councillor Party Councillor Party Councillor Party Councillor Party
2008   Peter Friend Independent   Janice Holstein Independent   Jim McDonald Independent LNP   Tanya Milligan Independent   Graham Moon Independent   Dave Neuendorf Independent
2012a   Katter's Australian
2012b   Vacant
2012   Kathy McLean Independent   Derek Pingel Independent
2016   Jason Cook Independent   Michael Hagan Independent   Chris Wilson Independent
2018   Rick Vela Independent
2020   Brett Qualischefski Independent LNP
2024   A Better Lockyer

Libraries

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The Lockyer Valley Region Council provide public libraries in Gatton and Laidley.[11]

Sister City Relations

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References

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  1. ^ a b "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. ^ Queensland Government Gazette, 25 April 1888, p.1403.
  3. ^ "Order in Council". Queensland Government Gazette. 3 September 1938. p. 151:794.
  4. ^ "Untitled". Queensland Government Gazette. 17 March 1949. p. 172:981–985.
  5. ^ a b Queensland Local Government Reform Commission (July 2007). Report of the Local Government Reform Commission (PDF). Vol. 2. pp. 182–186. ISBN 978-1-921057-11-3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 March 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
  6. ^ a b Okadaa, Tetsuya; Katharine Haynes; Deanne Bird; Robin van den Honert; David King (2014). "Recovery and resettlement following the 2011 flash flooding in the Lockyer Valley". International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 8 (June 2014): 20–31. doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2014.01.001.
  7. ^ "Flood Monitoring Cameras". Lockyer Valley Regional Council. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  8. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Lockyer Valley (R)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 9 July 2021.  
  9. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Lockyer Valley (R)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 9 July 2021.  
  10. ^ "Lockyer Valley Mayor Steve Jones dies in Brisbane hospital after collapse during media interview". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 February 2016. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  11. ^ "Lockyer Valley Libraries". Lockyer Valley Regional Council. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  12. ^ "A sym-bowl of true solidarity". Nationwide News Pty Ltd. 14 May 2018. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  13. ^ "友好都市 - 上尾市Webサイト". www.city.ageo.lg.jp. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
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  Media related to Lockyer Valley Region at Wikimedia Commons

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