NSW · Far north-west NSW · Local council, made simple
Brewarrina Shire Council
A far north-west NSW council on the Barwon River — about 1,400 people across 19,162 km², in Brewarrina, Goodooga, Gongolgon, Weilmoringle and Angledool, on an economy of sheep and cattle grazing, wool and cotton. Brewarrina is home to Baiame's Ngunnhu, the National Heritage-listed Aboriginal fish traps on the Barwon. The council runs the local services you use every week — waste, water and sewer, more than 1,700 km of road, parks, planning — and sets your rates. Here's the snapshot, then the stuff that affects your week.
Everyday essentials
The things people actually need from the council — fast.
Get to know your council
The basics, in one tap — open any card for key facts and a link to the official source.
This year's rate peg, when instalments fall due, and why bills differ.
2026–27 rate peg: 3.6%
Open →Budget & financesHow financially healthy the council is, measured against official benchmarks.
4 of 9 OLG benchmarks met (2023–24)
Open →Crime & safetyWhat BOCSAR publishes for Brewarrina — recorded incident counts.
204 recorded incidents across 12 major offences (Apr 2025 – Mar 2026)
Open →Mayor & councillorsWho represents you — and where to read their official profiles.
Mayor: Tommy Stanton (Independent)
Open →Elections & votingWhen the next council election is, and how voting works.
Next election: Sat 9 Sep 2028
Open →Contact & servicesHow to reach the council and report a problem.
Customer service: (02) 6830 5100
Open →Area profileThe basics: how many people live here, how big the area is.
Population: ~1,408 (2023–24)
Open →What's happening
5 updatesRecent items from Brewarrina Shire Council's public channels, in plain language.
- Policy
Premier visits Brewarrina for a four-council round table on youth programs
Premier Chris Minns and the Member for Barwon, Roy Butler, visited Yetta Dhinnakkal on 16 July 2026 for a regional round table with the mayors and general managers of Brewarrina, Coonamble, Walgett and Bourke, focused on youth development.
What this means for you: The council reports commitments coming out of the meeting: pilot youth development projects across the four LGAs, a review of youth service delivery to map gaps, a proposed judge-referred residential program at Yetta Dhinnakkal, and continued funding for school holiday programs. Nothing changes for residents today; this is the process to watch if you use or work in local youth services.
Source: Brewarrina Shire Council — Premier visits Brewarrina to see youth development success first-hand
- Policy
On-Country consultation begins for the Baiame's Ngunnhu management plans
The council held on-Country visits and community engagement with Ngemba Elders, Traditional Owners and local knowledge holders as the first stage of developing a Conservation Management Plan and Heritage Interpretation Plan for the National Heritage-listed Brewarrina Aboriginal Fish Traps, funded through the Commonwealth's Australian Heritage Grants Program.
What this means for you: The plans will set how the site is protected, managed and interpreted for visitors. The council says the consultation covered cultural protocols and community expectations, and that Elders' guidance will shape how the plans are written — so this is the point at which local input goes in.
- Policy
Council lodges a water security submission to the Murray–Darling Basin Plan Review
The council made a submission to the Murray–Darling Basin Authority's 2026 review of the Basin Plan, individually and through the Alliance of Western Councils, raising critical human water needs, water quality and long-term water security for end-of-system towns on the Barwon–Darling.
What this means for you: The town's water supply depends on the Barwon–Darling and the Brewarrina weir pool, and the council states there is no groundwater across large parts of the shire. The review is one of the formal points at which those arguments are considered; the submission is public and linked below.
- Have your say
Draft 2026/27 Operational Plan, Budget and Delivery Program went on public exhibition
Councillors endorsed the Draft 2026/27 Operational Plan, Budget and four-year Delivery Program at the April 2026 ordinary meeting and placed them on public exhibition, with written submissions closing at 4pm on Monday 25 May 2026.
What this means for you: The adopted plan is what sets this year's ordinary rates, minimum rates, water, sewer and domestic waste charges and the capital works program — the documents behind the figures on our Rates & fees page. The exhibition period has closed; the final adopted plan is linked from the council's publications page.
- Have your say
Community Strategic Plan 2025–2035 put to the community, then adopted
Councillors endorsed the Draft Community Strategic Plan 2025–2035 at the March 2026 ordinary meeting and placed it on public exhibition following pop-up sessions, surveys and conversations across the shire's towns and villages. The final plan, organised around five strategic pillars, was published in July 2026.
What this means for you: The CSP is the ten-year document every other council plan hangs off, including the Delivery Program and the annual budget. If you want to see what the council has committed to pursue for the next decade — and the vision statement it adopted, 'A strong and proud Brewarrina community, shaping our shared future' — this is the document.
Source: Brewarrina Shire Council — Public Exhibition: Draft Community Strategic Plan
Email alerts aren't switched on yet
We haven't started sending email, so we're not taking addresses for now. New items from Brewarrina Shire Councilshow up under “What's happening” above as we find them, each linked to its official source.