Lockyer Valley Region
Queensland
Location within South East Queensland
Population41,011 (2018)[1]
 • Density18.074/km2 (46.813/sq mi)
Established2008
Area2,269 km2 (876.1 sq mi)[1]
MayorTanya Milligan
Council seatGatton
RegionWest Moreton
State electorate(s)Lockyer
Federal division(s)Wright
WebsiteLockyer Valley Region
LGAs around Lockyer Valley Region:
Toowoomba Somerset Somerset
Toowoomba Lockyer Valley Region Ipswich
Southern Downs Southern Downs Scenic Rim

The Lockyer Valley Region is a local government area in the West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia, between the cities of Ipswich and Toowoomba. It was created in 2008 from a merger of the Shire of Gatton and the Shire of Laidley. It has an estimated operating budget of A$35m.


Forest Hill railway station, 1914

Prior to European settlement, the Lockyer Valley area was home to the Kitabul Aboriginal people.

Tarampa Division, as it was then known, was created on 15 January 1880 under the Divisional Boards Act 1879, with its first board meeting being held on 20 February 1880. On 25 April 1888, the Laidley district broke away and separately incorporated as the Laidley Division, and later on 25 January 1890, the Forest Hill area moved from Tarampa to Laidley.[2] On 1 July 1902, the town of Laidley was created as a separate municipality with its own Borough Council.

With the passage of the Local Authorities Act 1902, the borough and divisions became a town and shires respectively on 31 March 1903. The town council was dissolved on 8 February 1917, and Laidley absorbed part of the Shire of Rosewood.

On 3 September 1938, Tarampa was renamed the Shire of Gatton.[3] On 19 March 1949 it grew to incorporate part of the former Shires of Drayton and Highfields, while losing some of its original area to the City of Toowoomba and Shire of Crows Nest.[4]

In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that Gatton and Laidley amalgamate, uniting the major farming, cropping and horticultural production area of South East Queensland under one local authority. While both councils opposed the amalgamation, they identified each other as preferred partners if it had to go ahead.[5] On 15 March 2008, the two Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect six councillors and a mayor to the Lockyer Valley Regional Council.

After the deadly 2010–11 Queensland floods, which destroyed the town of Grantham, the council responded quickly to relocate the town to non-flood prone land.[6] The council purchased freehold land adjoining the existing town for the voluntary resettlement of eligible residents.[6] To speed the recovery process normal land use planning procedures were dropped although there was a public consultation period. Support from the state government was muted, partly because the new urban development was contrary to the South East Queensland Regional Plan.

The council has also responded to floods by installing a network of cameras around the region which can be viewed by members of the public on a web page.[7]

Towns and localities

The main street of Laidley, 2011
Warrego Highway looking towards Toowoomba

The Lockyer Valley Region includes the following settlements:

1 - split with Somerset Region

Population

Prior to 2008, the populations given relate to the previous component entities. The 2011 census marks the first for the region to be recorded as a single area.

Year Population
(Region total)		 Population
(Gatton)		 Population
(Laidley)
193311,1536,0535,100
194711,1586,4034,755
195411,7547,1374,617
196112,3877,5944,793
196612,6617,8144,847
197112,5928,0994,493
197613,3248,6894,635
198115,0559,6755,380
198618,54611,7346,812
199122,27313,8108,463
199626,84614,73012,116
200127,56114,92512,636
200629,88315,57214,311
Population of Lockyer Valley Region
Year Population Notes
2011 34,954 [8]
2016 38,609 [9]
2021 41,101

Mayors

Steve Jones, former mayor of Gatton, was elected as first mayor of the Lockyer Valley Region.[10] He died in office on 19 February 2016.[11] Deputy mayor Tanya Milligan was acting mayor until she was elected as mayor in her own right on 16 April 2016.

  • 2008–2016: Steve Jones[10][12]
  • 2016 (acting); 2016–present: Tanya Lee-Anne Milligan[13][14]

Deputy mayors

  • 2012–2016: Tanya Milligan
  • 2016–present: Jason Cook

Councillors

The Lockyer Valley Regional Council remains undivided and its elected body consists of six councillors and a popularly elected mayor, elected for a four-year term. A deputy mayor is also appointed by council for a four-year term.

Current composition of council

NamePosition
Tanya MilliganMayor
Jason Cook (deputy mayor)Councillor
Michael Hagan
Janice Holstein
Brett Qualischefski
Rick Vela
Chris Wilson

List of councillors

Years in bold denote council elections; years in italics denote changes between elections.

YearNameNotesNameNotesNameNotesNameNotesNameNotesNameNotes
2008Peter FriendRetiredJanice HolsteinIncumbentJim McDonaldResigned to sit as state MP for LockyerTanya MilliganDeputy mayor 2012–2016; acting mayor 2016. Did not recontest in 2016; instead, successfully ran for mayor. Mayor 2016–presentGraham MoonDeputy mayor 2008–2012. Lost seatDavid NeuendorfResigned to run for Lockyer in state parliament
2012[lower-alpha 1]Vac­ant
2012Kathy McLeanRetiredDerek PingelLost seat
2016[lower-alpha 2]Jason CookIncumbent. Deputy mayor 2016–presentMichael HaganIncumbentChris WilsonIncumbent
2017/18[lower-alpha 3]Rick VelaIncumbent
2020Brett QualischefskiIncumbent

Source: Electoral Commission of Queensland[19][20][21][22]

  1. ↑ Shortly before the council election in 2012, David Neuendorf resigned to run for Lockyer in the 2012 state election. He was unsuccessful, and the seat remained vacant until the council election.[15]
  2. ↑ Due to mayor Steve Jones' death in office on 19 February 2016, the region's quadrennial election was held not with the rest of the state's on 19 March 2016, but on 16 April 2016.[16]
  3. ↑ Jim McDonald was elected as MP for Lockyer in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland at the state election held on 25 November 2017. As a result, a by-election was held on 10 February 2018 to replace him.[17] The by-election was won by Rick Vela.[18]

Libraries

The Lockyer Valley Region Council provide public libraries in Gatton and Laidley.[23]

Sister City Relations

References

  1. 1 2 "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18: Population Estimates by Local Government Area (ASGS 2018), 2017 to 2018". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.
  2. ↑ Queensland Government Gazette, 25 April 1888, p.1403.
  3. ↑ "Order in Council". Queensland Government Gazette. 3 September 1938. p. 151:794.
  4. ↑ "Untitled". Queensland Government Gazette. 17 March 1949. p. 172:981–985.
  5. ↑ Queensland Local Government Reform Commission (July 2007). Report of the Local Government Reform Commission (PDF). Vol. 2. pp. 182–186. ISBN 978-1-921057-11-3. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
  6. 1 2 Okadaa, Tetsuya; Katharine Haynes; Deanne Bird; Robin van den Honert; David King (2014). "Recovery and resettlement following the 2011 flash flooding in the Lockyer Valley". International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 8 (June 2014): 20–31. doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2014.01.001.
  7. ↑ "Flood Monitoring Cameras". Lockyer Valley Regional Council. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  8. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Lockyer Valley (R)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  9. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Lockyer Valley (R)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  10. 1 2 "2008 Lockyer Valley Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  11. ↑ "Lockyer Valley Mayor Steve Jones dies in Brisbane hospital after collapse during media interview". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "2012 Lockyer Valley Regional Council - Mayoral Election - Election Summary". results.ecq.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  13. ↑ Roe, Isobel (22 April 2016). "Tanya Milligan claims Lockyer Valley council mayoral win". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  14. ↑ "2020 Local Government Elections: Saturday, 28 March 2020". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  15. ↑ "Neuendorf to remain on the radar". The Courier-Mail. 10 April 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  16. ↑ "2016 Lockyer Valley Regional Council - Councillor Election - Election Summary". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  17. ↑ "Lockyer residents head back to polls: Learn about candidates". The Courier-Mail. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  18. ↑ "2018 Lockyer Valley Regional Council Councillor By-Election - Lockyer Valley Regional Council - Undivided Council Summary". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  19. ↑ "2008 LOCKYER VALLEY REGIONAL COUNCIL - COUNCILLOR ELECTION - ELECTION SUMMARY". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 28 March 2008. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  20. ↑ "2012 Lockyer Valley Regional Council - Councillor Election - Lockyer Valley Regional Council - Undivided Council Summary". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  21. ↑ "2016 Lockyer Valley Regional Council - Councillor Election - Lockyer Valley Regional Council - Undivided Council Summary". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  22. ↑ "Lockyer Valley Regional Division 1 Councillor". Electoral Commission of Queensland. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  23. ↑ "Lockyer Valley Libraries". Lockyer Valley Regional Council. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  24. ↑ "A sym-bowl of true solidarity". Nationwide News Pty Ltd. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  25. ↑ "友好都市 - 上尾市Webサイト". www.city.ageo.lg.jp. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2021.

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