Surf Coast Shire
Encyclopedia
Surf Coast Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the southern part of the state, near Geelong. It includes the towns of Aireys Inlet
, Anglesea
, Lorne
, Moriac
, Torquay
and Winchelsea
. It has an area of 1,553 square kilometres. It had a population of 24,124 in 2006. The mayor is Dean Webster a farmer from Torquay.
The shire was formed in 1994, as part of the local government amalgamations that occurred under then-Premier Jeff Kennett
. Most of the former Winchelsea Shire
, the Barrabool Shire
, and the Torquay section of the former City of South Barwon
, which was, at that point, part of the City of Greater Geelong
, was merged into the new shire. Its first elections were held in 1995.
It is currently one of only a handful of municipalities in Victoria to be unsubdivided. As a result, the entire municipality votes to elect the nine councillors. This was preceded by a ward system where three councillors were elected from Torquay, three from Anglesea and one from Lorne, Winchelsea, Moriac and Aireys Inlet respectively, which was abolished before the 2004 council elections. A position of Deputy Mayor briefly existed from 2004 to 2005, but was abolished for the 2005 mayoral election.
The operation of the shire has been controversial in recent years. In the late 1990s, it set up a business arm, SurfLink, in an attempt to supplement its funding. The effort failed, and the business closed some years afterwards. There were inconsistencies in the accounting, and a large sum of money was missing. However, two state government inquiries failed to come to any conclusions. In addition to the SurfLink saga, the shire is also deeply in debt, which they have only recently begun to address.
Aireys Inlet, Victoria
Aireys Inlet is a small coastal inlet and town located on the Great Ocean Road, southwest of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Aireys Inlet is located between Anglesea and Lorne, and joined with Fairhaven to the west. At the 2006 census, Aireys Inlet had a population of 1,148.Many surfers holiday in...
, Anglesea
Anglesea, Victoria
Anglesea is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Great Ocean Road in the Surf Coast Shire local government area. At the 2006 census, Anglesea had a population of 2,290....
, Lorne
Lorne, Victoria
Lorne is a seaside town on Louttit Bay in Victoria, Australia. It is situated about the Erskine River and is a popular destination on the Great Ocean Road tourist route...
, Moriac
Moriac, Victoria
Moriac is a rural town in Victoria, Australia, located approximately west of Geelong. It forms part of the Surf Coast Shire. At the 2006 census, Moriac had a population of 594....
, Torquay
Torquay, Victoria
Torquay is a township in Victoria, Australia, which faces Bass Strait, 21 km. south of Geelong and is the gateway to the Great Ocean Road. It is bordered on the west by Spring Creek and its coastal features include Point Danger and Zeally Bay...
and Winchelsea
Winchelsea, Victoria
Winchelsea is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is in the Surf Coast Shire local government area and located on the Barwon River 115 km south-west of Melbourne and close to Geelong .- History :...
. It has an area of 1,553 square kilometres. It had a population of 24,124 in 2006. The mayor is Dean Webster a farmer from Torquay.
The shire was formed in 1994, as part of the local government amalgamations that occurred under then-Premier Jeff Kennett
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...
. Most of the former Winchelsea Shire
Shire of Winchelsea
The Shire of Winchelsea was a Local Government Area located about southwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1860 until 1994.-History:...
, the Barrabool Shire
Shire of Barrabool
The Shire of Barrabool was a Local Government Area located about southwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1853 until 1994.-History:...
, and the Torquay section of the former City of South Barwon
City of South Barwon
The City of South Barwon was a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, which contained some Geelong suburbs south of the Barwon River, and extending to Torquay in the south and Barwon Heads to the east...
, which was, at that point, part of the City of Greater Geelong
City of Greater Geelong
The City of Greater Geelong is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia.It is located in the western part of the state, south-west of Melbourne. It has an area of 1,240 square kilometres. In 2006 it had a population of 191,000...
, was merged into the new shire. Its first elections were held in 1995.
It is currently one of only a handful of municipalities in Victoria to be unsubdivided. As a result, the entire municipality votes to elect the nine councillors. This was preceded by a ward system where three councillors were elected from Torquay, three from Anglesea and one from Lorne, Winchelsea, Moriac and Aireys Inlet respectively, which was abolished before the 2004 council elections. A position of Deputy Mayor briefly existed from 2004 to 2005, but was abolished for the 2005 mayoral election.
The operation of the shire has been controversial in recent years. In the late 1990s, it set up a business arm, SurfLink, in an attempt to supplement its funding. The effort failed, and the business closed some years afterwards. There were inconsistencies in the accounting, and a large sum of money was missing. However, two state government inquiries failed to come to any conclusions. In addition to the SurfLink saga, the shire is also deeply in debt, which they have only recently begun to address.
2008 Council Election Voting
The first preference votes only for the Surf Coast Shire candidates are listed in numerical order. Outgoing Mayor, Cr Dean Webster claimed the most primary votes.- WEBSTER, Dean (2,339)
- COKER, Libby (2,279)
- MEARS, Libby (2,181)
- SCHROETER, Lindsay (1,936)
- NORTHEAST, Simon (1,806)
- HODGE, Rose (1,574)
- McKITERICK, Brian (1,487)
- TUTT, Jim (1,311)
- REMENYI, Joe (967)
- LEWIS, Michael (797)
- KERR, Garry (731)
- HUMPHREY, Ron (706)
- FOORD, Rodney (566)
- FOSS, John (408)
- WAPSHOTT, Elizabeth (356)
Current council
The council is composed of nine councillors elected to represent an unsubdivided municipality.- Cr Libby Coker (2008)
- Cr Rose Hodge (2004)
- Cr Ron Humphrey (2004-2008, 2010)
- Cr Brian McKiterick (2008)
- Cr Libby Mears (2004)
- Cr Simon Northeast (2008)
- Cr Joe Remenyi (2008)
- Cr Jim Tutt (2004)
- Cr Dean Webster (2004)
Mayors
- Cr Noel Bates (1995–1997)
- Cr Henry Love (1997–1998)
- Cr Julie Hansen (1998–2000)
- Cr Mike Barrow (2000–2001)
- Cr Beth Davidson (2001–2004)
- Cr Keith Grossman (2004–2005)
- Cr Libby Mears (2005–2006)
- Cr Rose Hodge (2006–2007)
- Cr Dean Webster (2007–2008)
- Cr Libby Mears (2008–2009)
- Cr Libby Coker (2009-2010)
- Cr Dean Webster (2010-2011)