AGY-2056 | Shire of Moree Plains

Full description

The Shire of Moree Plains was a local government area in the north of New South Wales, constituted under the Local Government Areas Amalgamation Act 1980 (Act No.110, 1980). It was formed on 1 January 1981 by the amalgamation of the former shires of Boolooroo and Boomi with the Municipality of Moree. (1) Moree Plains comprised all of the territories of its predecessors, bordering the shires of Walgett in the west, Narrabri in the south, Bingara and Yallaroi in the east, and the state of Queensland to the north. Moree Plains was created with a council of 12 (2) and without division into ridings. (3) The date for the first election was set by the Act as 6 December 1980. (4)

In May 1986, 5640 hectares of Narrabri Shire was transferred to Moree Plains. (5) Two subsequent corrections were made to the expression of the new boundaries the following year. (6) (7) Further adjustments to the boundary with Narrabri occurred in 1990, with 2408 hectares of Narrabri transferring to Moree Plains, and 305 hectares from Moree Plains to Narrabri. (8) In 1992, 30.4 hectares of Moree Plains was transferred to Yallaroi Shire. (9) The following year, 143 hectares of the parish of Mellburra, county of Jamison, was transferred from Narrabri to Moree Plains. Narrabri Shire was required to supply extracts of valuations for the transferred territory. (10)

The Local Government Act 1993 (Act No.30, 1993) no longer referred to shires and municipalities, only to 'areas'. (11) A subsequent amendment made it possible for areas to retain their old name, despite this no longer denoting a legal status. (12) Moree Plains continued to use 'Shire' in the names of the local government area and council. (13) Under the 1993 Act, the creation, abolition, naming and boundaries of ridings (now named wards) came under the control of the council (s.210). The council president was now the mayor (s.225).

Endnotes
1. Local Government Areas Amalgamation Act, 1980 (Act No.110, 1980) Sch.1 Pt.2.
2. NSW Government Gazette No.152, 17 October 1980, p.5393.
3. Local Government Department annual report 1980/81, p.7; in Parliamentary Papers 1982 2nd Session, pp.1811, 1815.
4. Local Government Areas Amalgamation Act, 1980 (Act No.110, 1980) Sch.2, Pt.3 (2).
5. NSW Government Gazette No.88, 30 May 1986, pp.2461-63.
6. NSW Government Gazette No.131, 14 August 1987, p.4477.
7. NSW Government Gazette No.140, 4 September 1987, p.5043.
8. NSW Government Gazette No.174, 21 December 1990, pp.11181-89.
9. NSW Government Gazette No.121, 2 October 1992, pp.7165-70.
10. NSW Government Gazette No.65, 25 June 1993, pp.3280-86.
11. Local Government Act 1993 (Act No.30, 1993) s.204(1) and Sch.7, 21(1).
12. Local Government Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 1994 (Act No.44, 1994).
13. Moree Plains Shire Council website: http://www.mpsc.nsw.gov.au (accessed 20 March 2015)