Moree Plains Shire

Moree Plains Shire is a local government area in the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The northern boundary of the Shire is located adjacent to the border between New South Wales and Queensland. The Shire is located adjacent to the Newell and Gwydir Highways and the North West railway line.

The mayor of Moree Plains Shire Council is Cr. Susanna Pearse, an independent politician.

The main town and seat of council is Moree. Other towns and villages in the Shire include Ashley, Boomi, Boggabilla, Garah, Gurley, Millie, Mungindi, Pallamallawa and Weemelah.

Moree has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

At the 2011 census, there were 13,429 people in the Moree Plains local government area, of these 50.8 per cent were male and 49.2 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 20.8 per cent of the population which is approximately nine times above both the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the Moree Plains Shire was 35 years; slightly lower than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 23.4 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 12.5 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 44.2 per cent were married and 9.9 per cent were either divorced or separated.

Between the 2001 census and the 2011 census the Moree Plains Shire experienced negative population growth in both absolute and real terms. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78 per cent and 8.32 per cent respectively, population growth in the Moree Plains local government area was significantly lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Moree Plains Shire was generally close to the national average.

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Moree Plains local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 77 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 70 per cent of all residents in the Moree Plains Shire nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was significantly higher than the national average of 50.2 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Moree Plains local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (3.6 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (89.4 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).

Moree Plains Shire Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as a single 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 14 October 2024, and the makeup of the council is as follows: