Clarence Valley New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Population	50,671 (2016 census)[1] 54,115 (2021)[2]
• Density	4.85308/km2 (12.5694/sq mi)
Established	24 February 2004 (2004-02-24)
Area	10,441 km2 (4,031.3 sq mi)
Mayor	Peter Johnstone
Council seat	Grafton and Maclean
Region	Northern Rivers
State electorate(s)	Clarence
Federal division(s)	Page
Website	Clarence Valley
LGAs around Clarence Valley: Tenterfield Richmond Valley Tasman Sea Glen Innes Severn Clarence Valley Tasman Sea Armidale Bellingen Coffs Harbour

Clarence Valley Council is a local government area in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia.

The council services an area of 10,441 square kilometres (4,031 sq mi) and draws its name from the Clarence River, which flows through most of the council area. The area under management is adjacent to the Pacific Highway, the Gwydir Highway and the North Coast railway line. The Clarence Valley region includes the coastal plain and lower valleys of the Clarence and Nymboida river. Most of the valley is agricultural; however, the oceanside towns of Yamba and Iluka are popular holiday resorts.^[3]

The council was formed in February 2004 by the merger of the City of Grafton and Maclean Shire, and parts of Copmanhurst, Pristine Waters and Richmond Valley local government areas, and the activities of North Coast Water and Clarence River County Council.^[4]

The mayor of Clarence Valley Council is Peter Johnstone.^[5]

Towns and localities

Towns and localities in the Clarence Valley Council are:

Heritage listings

The Clarence Valley Council has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• High Conservation Value Old Growth forest^[6]

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 49,665 people in the Clarence Valley local government area, of these 49.4 per cent were male and 50.6 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5.7 per cent of the population which is more than double the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the Clarence Valley Council area was 46 years; some 10 years higher than the national median. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 18.6 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 21.3 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 49.3 per cen% were married and 14.6% were either divorced or separated.^[7]

Population growth in the Clarence Valley Council area between the 2006 census and the 2011 Census was 3.15 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same period, being 8.32 per cent, population growth in the Clarence Valley local government area was lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Clarence Valley Council area was significantly below the national average,^[7][8] being one of the factors that place the Clarence Valley Council area in an area of social disadvantage.

At the 2011 Census, the proportion of residents in the Clarence Valley local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Celtic exceeded 82 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 64 per cent of all residents in the Clarence Valley Council area nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 Census, which was above the national average of 50.2 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the Census date, compared to the national average, households in the Clarence Valley local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (3.1 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (94.0 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).^[7]

Selected historical census data for Clarence Valley local government area
Census year			2006[8]	2011[7]	2016[1]
Population		Estimated residents on census night	48,146	49,665	50,671
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales		46th	45th
		% of New South Wales population		0.72%	0.68%
		% of Australian population	0.24%	0.23%	0.22%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian		34.6%	33.2%
		English		31.9%	31.4%
		Irish		9.0%	9.1%
		Scottish		8.3%	8.6%
		German		3.4%	3.4%
Language, top responses (other than English)		German	0.2%	0.2%	0.2%
		Cantonese	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%
		Spanish	n/c	0.1%	0.1%
		Mandarin	n/c	n/c	0.1%
		Dutch	0.1%	0.2%	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		No religion	15.3%	19.0%	26.4%
		Anglican	32.0%	30.6%	25.7%
		Catholic	22.5%	22.1%	20.0%
		Not stated	n/c	n/c	10.4%
		Presbyterian and Reformed	7.4%	6.7%	6.0%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income	A$333	A$396	A$477
		% of Australian median income	71.5%	68.6%	72.1%
Family income		Median weekly family income	A$631	A$924	A$1133
		% of Australian median income	61.4%	62.4%	65.3%
Household income		Median weekly household income	A$781	A$768	A$910
		% of Australian median income	66.7%	62.2%	63.3%

Council

Current composition and election method

Clarence Valley Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as one entire ward. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the council is as follows:^[9]

The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election, is:^[9]

2021 election results

2021 New South Wales local elections: Clarence Valley^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Jeff Smith (elected)	6,022	19.6
	Independent	Debrah Novak (elected)	3,622	11.8
	Independent	Ian Tiley (elected)	2,637	8.6
	Independent National	Allison Whaites (elected)	2,403	7.8
	Independent	Bill Day (elected)	2,039	6.7
	Greens	Greg Clancy (elected)	2,592	8.5
	Independent National	Peter Johnstone (elected)	2,212	7.2
	Independent	Karen Toms (elected)	1,658	5.4
	Independent	Steve Pickering (elected)	1,536	5.0
	Independent Labor	Peter Ellem	1,494	4.9
	Independent	Ash Gibbons	1,189	3.9
	Independent	Pete Hanson	1,189	3.9
	Independent National	Donald Scott	702	2.3
	Independent	Phil Belletty	661	2.2
	Independent	Jeffrey Fuller	357	1.2
	Independent	Warren Lang	348	1.1
Total formal votes			30,661	92.9
Informal votes			2,358	7.1
Turnout				85.7
Party total votes
	Independent		23,850	77.8
	Independent National		5,317	17.3
	Independent Labor		1,494	4.9
Party total seats				Seats	±
	Independent			7
	Independent National			2	1
	Independent Labor			0	1