Kempsey Shire

Kempsey Shire is a local government area in the mid north coast region of New South Wales, Australia.The shire services an area of and is located adjacent to the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line. Kempsey Shire was formed in 1976 by the amalgamation of the former Kempsey Municipality and the former Macleay Shire.At the, Kempsey Shire had a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people residing within its boundaries; being 11.1 per cent of the resident population, more than four times the national national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The shire also contains a coastal strip that was identified in 2007, and confirmed in 2015, as one of the most socially disadvantaged areas in Australia.The Mayor of the Kempsey Shire is Liz Campbell, an independent politician.Towns and localitiesTowns and localities in the Kempsey Shire are:DemographicsAt the, there were people in the Kempsey Shire local government area, of these 50.2 per cent were male and 49.8 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 11.1 per cent of the population, more than four times the national average. The median age of people in the Kempsey Shire was 45 years; some eight years older than the national median. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 19.4 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 19.8 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 45.4 per cent were married and 15.4 per cent were either divorced or separated.