City of Cessnock

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

For the former local government area, see Municipality of Cessnock.

City of Cessnock Cessnock, New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	32°50′S 151°21′E
Population	63,632 (2021 census) 59,101 (2018 est.)
• Density	32.366/km2 (83.828/sq mi)
Established	7 March 1906 (1906-03-07) (as Cessnock Shire)
Postcode(s)	2320-2327, 2330, 2334, 2335
Area	1,966 km2 (759.1 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Mayor	Jay Suvaal (Labor)
Location	154 km (96 mi) N of Sydney 52 km (32 mi) W of Newcastle
Council seat	Cessnock
Region	Hunter
State electorate(s)	Cessnock
Federal division(s)	Hunter
Website	City of Cessnock
LGAs around City of Cessnock: Singleton Singleton, Maitland Maitland Singleton City of Cessnock Newcastle Hawkesbury Hawkesbury Lake Macquarie, Central Coast

The City of Cessnock is a local government area in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. The area under administration is located to the west of Newcastle. The largest population centre and council seat is the city of Cessnock.

The mayor of the City of Cessnock Council is Cr. Jay Suvaal, a member of Country Labor.

Main towns and villages

The Cessnock City Council area includes

• Cessnock
• Kurri Kurri
• Weston
• Pelaw Main
• Abermain
• Aberdare
• Bellbird
• Kearsley
• Mulbring
• Kitchener
• Paxton
• Millfield
• Ellalong
• Wollombi
• Neath
• Branxton
• Greta

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 50,840 people in the City of Cessnock local government area, of these 49.7 per cent were male and 50.3 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 4.8 per cent of the population, which was nearly double than the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the City of Cessnock was 37 years, equal to the national median. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 21.4 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 14.1 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 46.6 per cent were married and 13.2 per cent were either divorced or separated.

Population growth in the City of Cessnock between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 2.52 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 10.03 per cent. 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 City of Cessnock local government area was approximately equal to the national average over the ten-year period. The median weekly income for residents within the City of Cessnock was lower than the national average.

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the City of Cessnock local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Celtic exceeded 83 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 64% of all residents in the City of Cessnock 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 City of Cessnock 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 (93.0 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).

Selected historical census data for the City of Cessnock local government area
Census year			2001	2006	2011	2016	2021
Population		Estimated residents on census night	45,071	46,206	50,840	55,560	63,632
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales			43rd	42nd	40th
		% of New South Wales population			0.73%	0.74%	0.79%
		% of Australian population	0.24%	0.23%	0.24%	0.24%	0.25%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			35.3%	34.9%	44.7%
		English			32.2%	31.7%	42.2%
		Scottish			8.4%	8.4%	11.5%
		Australian Aboriginal			n/c	n/c	9.1%
		Irish			7.1%	7.2%	9.0%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Thai	n/c	n/c	n/c	0.1%	0.2%
		Tagalog	0.1%	n/c	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%
		Spanish	n/c	n/c	n/c	0.1%	0.1%
		Vietnamese	n/c	n/c	n/c	n/c	0.1%
		Mandarin	n/c	0.1%	n/c	n/c	0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		No Religion	11.0%	14.5%	18.5%	25.8%	41.1%
		Anglican	33.6%	33.0%	31.1%	26.5%	19.2%
		Catholic	22.2%	21.9%	21.9%	20.2%	17.7%
		Not stated	n/c	n/c	n/c	10.7%	8.2%
		Uniting Church	9.9%	8.5%	7.4%	5.4%	3.7%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$358	A$472	A$540	A$696
		% of Australian median income		76.8%	81.8%	81.6%	86.5%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$1,015	A$1,265	A$1,414	A$1,818
		% of Australian median income		86.7%	85.4%	81.5%	85.8%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$786	A$1,042	A$1,177	A$1,493
		% of Australian median income		76.5%	84.4%	81.8%	85.5%

Council

Current composition and election method

Cessnock City Council is composed of thirteen councillors, including the mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is directly elected while the twelve other councillors are elected proportionally as four separate wards, each electing three councillors. The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the council, including the mayor, is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Labor	6
	Liberal Party	3
	Independent	4
	Total	13

The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election by ward, is:

Ward	Councillor		Party	Notes
Mayor		Jay Suvaal	Labor
A Ward		Jessica Jurd	Independent
		James Hawkins	Labor
		Paul Dunn	Liberal
B Ward		Ian Olsen	Independent
		Anthony Burke	Labor
		John Moores	Liberal
C Ward		Anne-Marie Sander	Labor
		Karen Jackson	Liberal
		Daniel Watton	Independent
D Ward		Rosa Grine	Labor
		Mitchell Hill	Labor
		Paul Paynter	Independent

Election results

2024

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2024 New South Wales local elections in Hunter § Cessnock results.[edit]

2024 New South Wales local elections: Cessnock

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Cessnock Independents		16,245	42.43	+17.4	5	1
	Labor		15,563	40.65	−1.8	6	1
	Independents		4,008	10.47	+9.4	1	1
	Animal Justice		1,393	3.64	+3.6	0
	Greens		1,080	2.82	−7.1	0
Formal votes			38,289	90.75	−3.24
Informal votes			3,905	9.25	+3.24
Total			42,194	100.00

2021

This section is an excerpt from Results of the 2021 New South Wales local elections in Hunter § Cessnock results.[edit]

2021 New South Wales local elections: Cessnock

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Labor		15,136	42.5	−6.2	5	2
	Olsen Independents		8,908	25.0	+18.7	4	3
	Liberal		7,676	21.6	−0.9	3
	Greens		3,509	9.9	+2.8	0
	Independent		389	1.1		0	1
Formal votes			35,618	93.99
Informal votes			2,274	6.01
Total			37,892	100.00

See also

• List of local government areas in New South Wales