Camden Council (New South Wales)

Camden Council is a local government area in the Macarthur region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The area is located south west of the Sydney central business district and comprises with an estimated population at the of 119,325. The mayor of Camden is Therese Fedeli, a member of the Liberal Party of Australia.

Suburbs in the local government area Suburbs serviced by Camden Council are:

Demographics At the there were people in the Camden local government area, of these 49.1 per cent were male and 50.9 per cents were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 3.2 per cent of the population; similar to the NSW and Australian averages of 3.4 and 3.2 per cent respectively. The median age of people in the Camden Council area was 33 years, which is significantly lower than the national median of 38 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 25.3 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 9.9 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 54.0 per cent were married and 10.9 per cent were either divorced or separated.

Population growth in the Camden Council area between the and the was 13.35 per cent; in the subsequent five years to the , population growth was 14.25 per cent. At the 2016 census, the population in the Camden local government area increased by 37.9 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same period, being 8.8 per cent, population growth in Camden local government area was in excess of four times the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Camden Council area was generally slightly higher than the national average.

At the , the proportion of residents in the Camden local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon approached 70% of all residents. In excess of 58.0% of residents in the Camden Council area nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2021 census, compared with the national average of 43.9%; and the proportion of residents with no religion was about half the national average. Meanwhile, as at the 2021 census date, compared to the national average, households in the Camden local government area had a slighter higher proportion (22.5 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 22.3 per cent); and had a similar proportion (74.0 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 72.0 per cent).

Selected historical census data for Camden local government areaCensus year 20012006201120162021Population Estimated residents on census night LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales 39 28 24% of New South Wales population 0.82% 1.05% 1.48%% of Australian population 0.23% 0.25% 0.26% 0.33% 0.47%Median weekly incomes Personal income Median weekly personal income 566 690 A$821 A$984% of Australian median income 121.5% 119.6% 124.0% 122.2%Family income Median weekly family income A$1,353 A$1,865 A$2,161 A$2,487% of Australian median income 131.7% 125.9% 124.6% 117.3%Household income Median weekly household income A$1,465 A$1,727 A$2,047 A$2,353% of Australian median income 125.1% 140.0% 142.4% 134.8%

Selected historical census data for Camden local government areaAncestry, top responses20012006201120162021 No Data No Data Australian 31.1% Australian 27.0% Australian 32.7%English 27.2% English 25.1% English 28.9%Irish7.2% Irish 7.4% Irish 7.6%Scottish6.1% Scottish 6.0% Italian 7.4%Italian4.6% Italian 5.0% Scottish 6.7%Country of birth, top responses20012006201120162021Australia79.8% Australia 79.8% Australia 80.2% Australia 77.4% Australia 74.1% England4.9% England 4.3% England 4.0% England 3.1% India 2.4%New Zealand1.3% New Zealand 1.0% New Zealand 1.1% New Zealand 1.3% England 2.3%Italy0.9% Italy 0.9% Italy 0.9% India 0.9% New Zealand 1.5%Scotland0.9% Scotland 0.8% Scotland 0.8% Philippines 0.7% Philippines 1.3%China0.5% China 0.5% China 0.5% Fiji 0.7% Iraq 1.1%Language, top responses (other than English)20012006201120162021Italian1.7% Italian 1.6% Italian 1.5% Arabic 1.4% Arabic 2.3%Spanish0.7% Spanish 0.8% Spanish 0.9% Italian 1.3% Spanish 1.6%Cantonese0.7% Arabic 0.7% Arabic 0.8% Spanish 1.3% Hindi 1.5%Arabic0.6% Cantonese 0.7% Cantonese 0.6% Hindi 0.9% Punjabi 1.1%Maltese0.5% Croatian0.5% Maltese 0.4% Mandarin 0.7% Italian 1.1%Religious affiliation, top responses20012006201120162021Catholic33.5% Catholic 34.7% Catholic 35.4% Catholic 34.4% Catholic 31.7%Anglican30.9% Anglican 29.1% Anglican 28.3% Anglican 21.4% No Religion 25.1%No Religion9.6% No Religion 11.3% No Religion 12.9% No Religion 18.9% Anglican 13.9%United Church4.8% United Church 4.0% United Church 3.5% Not Stated 6.6% Islam 4.8%Presbyterian and Reformed 3.0% Presbyterian and Reformed 2.6% Presbyterian and Reformed 2.4% Uniting Church 2.4% Not Stated 4.3%

Council

Current composition and election method Camden Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as three separate wards, each electing three councillors. 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 September 2024, and the makeup of the council is as follows:

PartyCouncillors Labor 3 Independents 3 Libertarian 2 Liberal Party 1 Total 9

The current Council, elected in 2024, by ward, is:

WardCouncillorPartyNotesCentral Ward Therese Fedeli Liberal Ashleigh Cagney Labor Peter McLean Independent North Ward Abha Suri Independent Eliza Rahman Labor Deputy Mayor Vince Ferreri LibertarianMayorSouth Ward Eva Campbell Independent Damien Quinnell Labor Rose Sicari Libertarian

Election results 2024

2021

Mayors from 1889 to present # Mayor Term start Term end Time in office Notes1Frederick Burne24 April 188918912Charles Whiteman189218933Henry Reeves189418944James Noakes1895October 1895 (res)5 James Rankin 23 October 1895 4 May 1896 (res) 6 W.C. Furner 4 May 1896 14 February 1899 7 George Furner 14 February 1899 13 February 1901 8 E.F. Druitt 13 February 1901 12 February 1902 9 George Macarthur Onslow 12 February 1902 10 February 1904 10 A.D. Little 10 February 1904 12 February 1906 George Macarthur Onslow 12 February 1906 1 March 1907 George Furner 1 March 1907 1 March 1909 George Macarthur Onslow 1 March 1909 1 March 1910 George Furner 1 March 1910 7 February 1911 (res) George Furner (acting) 7 February 1911 1 March 1911 11 Thomas Sheil 1 March 1911 1 March 1913 12 R.E. Young 1 March 1913 19 January 1915 (ret) George Furner 19 January 1915 10 July 1917 W.F. Peters 10 July 1917 1 March 1918 George Furner 1 March 1918 15 December 1925 14 Francis Macarthur Onslow 15 December 1925 11 December 1928 15 William Larkin 11 December 1928 12 December 1932 16 Robert Crookston 12 December 1932 11 December 1933 William Larkin 11 December 1933 19 December 1938 17 Horace (Stan) Kelloway 19 December 1938 14 December 1954 18 William Cruikshank 14 December 1954 1962 19G.T. Griffiths19621964Where not otherwise cited, mayors listed from 1889 to 1989 drawn from Power, Paul (1989), "A Century of Change: One Hundred Years of Local Government in Camden", Macarthur Independent Promotions, Camden, p. 1420R.B. (Bruce) Ferguson1964197721Grahame Bush1977198022 Elizabeth (Liz) Kernohan 1980 1981 Grahame Bush1981198223L.A. (Don) Duncombe1982198324Warren Eggins19831985 Elizabeth (Liz) Kernohan 1985 1991 25 Theresa Testoni 1991 27 September 1993 26 Frank Brooking 27 September 1993 1997 27 Geoff Corrigan 1998 1999 28 Eva Campbell 1999 2001 – Geoff Corrigan 2001 2003 29 Fred Anderson 2003 September 2006 30 Chris Patterson September 2006 14 June 2011 Greg Warren 14 June 2011 9 October 2012 32 Lara Symkowiak 9 October 2012 11 September 2018 Peter Sidgreaves 11 September 2018 23 April 2019 Therese Fedeli 23 April 2019 9 May 2023 Ashleigh Cagney 9 May 2023 15 October 2025 Therese Fedeli 15 October 2025 Present

Urban development In Camden Council area there were 2,168 residential buildings approved to be built in the financial year 2021–22. Being a significant part of the South-Western Sydney Growth Area, Camden Council represents a rapidly growing region which is expected to house a large portion of Sydney's population growth over the coming decade. To the north are residential developments including Oran Park (8,000 homes) and Gregory Hills (2,600 homes), whilst to the south are further developments of the Elderslie estate.

A Muslim group, the Quranic Society, made a development application in the Camden area for an 19 million Muslim school with the capacity for 1,200 students. In May 2008 the Council voted unanimously to reject the application. After reducing its proposal to a school catering for 900 students, the Quranic Society took its case to the Land and Environment Court. The application was met with significant community protest; and the application rejected by the Court on the grounds that the land chosen was suited to rural uses.

Waste management The Spring Farm Resource Recovery Park at Spring Farm processes household waste from the Campbelltown City Council, Camden Council, Wollondilly Shire Council and Wingecarribee Shire Council areas. The site includes a materials recycling facility for sorting kerbside recyclables and recovering reusable materials. General waste and garden organics are temporarily stored before being transferred to landfill and commercial composting facilities, respectively.

Heritage listings The Camden Council has a number of heritage sites, including: Camden, 135 Argyle Street: Camden Post Office Camden, Aerodrome Road, Cobbitty: Macquarie Grove Camden, Exeter Street: Nant Gwylan and Garden Camden South, Elizabeth Macarthur Avenue: Camden Park Estate and Belgenny Farm Catherine Field, 1025 Camden Valley Way: Raby, Catherine Field Cobbitty, 421 The Northern Road: Denbigh, Cobbitty Gledswood Hills, 900 Camden Valley Way: Gledswood Harrington Park, 1 Hickson Circuit: Harrington Park (homestead) Harrington Park, 181–183 Northern Road: Orielton Narellan, Camden Valley Way: Studley Park, Narellan Narellan, Kirkham Lane: Camelot, Kirkham Narellan, Kirkham Lane: Kirkham Stables Oran Park, 112–130 Oran Park Drive: Oran Park (homestead)

Camden Council (New South Wales)

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