Berrigan Shire is a Local Government Area in the southern Riverina

Riverina

The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...

 region of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.

The shire lies on the New South Wales State border with Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

 formed by the Murray River

Murray River

The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...

. It is on the Newell

Newell Highway

The Newell Highway is the longest highway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs parallel to the eastern coast about 400 kilometres inland, and is the main inland direct road link from Victoria to Queensland, bypassing the more congested coastal areas of New South Wales...

 and Riverina Highway

Riverina Highway

Riverina Highway is a highway in New South Wales, Australia.Westwards, the highway stretches from Hume Weir, immediately east of Albury to Deniliquin...

s. Towns in the shire are:

• Berrigan
  Berrigan, New South Wales
  Berrigan is a town located on the Riverina Highway in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Berrigan is in the Berrigan Shire Local Government Area and is the location of the Berrigan Shire Council offices...
  
  , where the Council office is based
• Finley
  Finley, New South Wales
  Finley is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest town in the Berrigan Shire Local Government Area. At the 2006 census, Finley had a population of 2,054 people....
  
  
• Tocumwal
  Tocumwal, New South Wales
  Tocumwal is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia in the Berrigan Shire Local Government Area, near the Victorian border. The town is situated on the banks of the Murray River, north of the city of Melbourne. The Newell Highway, part of the main road route between...
  
  , and
• Barooga
  Barooga, New South Wales
  Barooga is a border town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, situated just north of the Murray River which forms the border withVictoria. It is located in the Berrigan Shire Council Local Government Area...
  
  .

The major transport routes through the Shire are the Newell

Newell Highway

The Newell Highway is the longest highway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs parallel to the eastern coast about 400 kilometres inland, and is the main inland direct road link from Victoria to Queensland, bypassing the more congested coastal areas of New South Wales...

 and Riverina Highway

Riverina Highway

Riverina Highway is a highway in New South Wales, Australia.Westwards, the highway stretches from Hume Weir, immediately east of Albury to Deniliquin...

s.

The shire is a mainly agricultural region, with dairying, cattle raising, woolgrowing and cropping the main activities. The vast majority of the shire is irrigated

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

. Tourism is another major activity, concentrated on the river towns of Tocumwal and Barooga.

The Berrigan Shire Council celebrated its centenary in 2006.

Council

Berrigan Shire Council is composed of eight councillors elected proportionally. The mayor is not directly elected. The current makeup of the council is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Independents Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...  and Unaffiliated	8
	Total	8

The current council, elected in 2008, is:

Councillor		Party	Notes
	John Bruce	Unaffiliated	Mayor
	Matthew Hannan	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
	Colin Jones	Unaffiliated
	Liz McLaurin	Unaffiliated
	Viv McGee	Unaffiliated
	Bernard Curtin	Unaffiliated	Deputy Mayor
	Brian Hill	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
	Fred Cuthbert	Unaffiliated