City of Lismore

This article is about the local government area. For the Australian regional city, see Lismore, New South Wales.

Lismore City New South Wales
Location in NSW
Coordinates
Population	45,645 (2009)
• Density	35.38/km2 (91.6/sq mi)
Area	1,290 km2 (498.1 sq mi)
Mayor	Jenny Dowell (Country Labor)
Council seat	Goonellabah
Region	Northern Rivers
State electorate(s)	Lismore
Federal Division(s)	Page
Website	Lismore City
LGAs around Lismore City: Kyogle Tweed Byron Richmond Valley Lismore City Ballina Richmond Valley Richmond Valley Ballina

The City of Lismore is a local government area in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The seat of the local government area is Lismore, a major regional centre of the state.

The Mayor of Lismore City Council is Cr. Jenny Dowell, a member of Country Labor.

Towns and localities

4

Demographics

In the 2006 Census of Population and Housing there were 42,210 usual residents living in Lismore City Council. Of this count, 20,543 (or 48%) were males and 21,667 (or 51%) were females. By age, 20% of the population was under 15 years old, 66% were between 15 and 65, and 14% were over 65 years old. Most people living in Lismore City Council were born in Australia (86%). The median age was 38 years.

Economy

According to the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, the median individual income was $378 per week (equal to approximately $19,710 per year). The median family income in 2006 was $993 per week (equal to approximately $51,778 per year); and, the median household income in 2006 was $779 per week (equal to approximately $39,629 per year).

There were 17,834 people employed in 2006 (to give an employment to working age population ratio of 0.64), and 1,812 people unemployed. The most common occupations were Professionals (19%); Technicians and Trades Workers (14%); and, Clerical and Administrative Workers (13%). The top 5 industries for employment were Hospitals (6.2%); School Education (5.8%); Cafes, Restaurants and Takeaway Food Services (4.2%); Tertiary Education (3.3%); and, Supermarket and Grocery Stores (3.0%).

Housing

In the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, the median housing loan repayment was $1,083 per month. This equated to marginally under 35% of median household income. The median rent in 2006 was $165 per week. This equated to just over 21% of median household income. The average household size was 2.5 persons. There is a large population of commission housing situated in the city of Lismore.

Council

Current composition and election method

Lismore City Council is composed of eleven Councillors, including the Mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is directly elected while the ten other Councillors are elected proportionally as one entire ward. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council, including the Mayor, is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Independents	6
	Country Labor	4
	Australian Greens	1
	Total	11

The current Council, elected in 2012, in order of election by ward, is:

Councillor		Party	Notes
	Jenny Dowell	Country Labor	Mayor
	Isaac Smith	Country Labor	Elected on Jenny Dowell's ticket
	Neil Marks	Independent
	Vanessa Grindon-Ekins	Greens
	Ray Houston	Country Labor	Elected on Jenny Dowell's ticket
	Glenys Ritchie	Country Labor	Elected on Jenny Dowell's ticket
	Simon Clough	Our Sustainable Future
	Graham Meineke	Independent
	Gianpiero Battista	Independent
	Mathew Scheibel	Independent
	Greg Bennett	Unaligned

Sister cities

Lismore has sister city relations with the following cities:

• Yamatotakada, Japan, since 1963
• Lismore, Ireland, since 2000
• Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA, since 2001
• Makassar, Indonesia