← Central Darling Shire Council
Chairperson & councillors

Chairperson & councillors

Central Darling is governed differently from every other council in NSW. It was administered by a state-appointed Administrator from 2013 until 4 December 2025, and on that date became the state's first 'Rural and Remote Council'. Under that model the council has six councillors: three elected by the community, one from each of the shire's three wards, at the election held on 20 September 2025; and three appointed by the Minister for Local Government, announced on 31 October 2025. The presiding office is a Chairperson rather than a Mayor, and the Chairperson is appointed by the Minister; the councillors elect the Deputy Chairperson from among themselves. The first meeting of the new council was held at Wilcannia on 4 December 2025, which is when the council came out of administration. Below is who currently holds office, with links to their official profiles, the election results and the Minister's announcement.

New to these terms? Read them in plain English
How the mayor is chosen
Either elected directly by voters, or chosen by the councillors.
Ward
A subdivision of a council area that elects its own councillors.
Local Government Area (LGA)
The official area a council governs.
NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC)
Runs council elections and publishes the official results.
See the full explainer, with formulas →

Who represents you

Chairperson
Cr Robert (Bob) Stewart (appointed)Appointed to the position of Councillor and Council Chairman by the Minister for Local Government. The council's profile page records that he previously held the position of Council Administrator, from 25 January 2019 to 4 December 2025, when the new council commenced.
Deputy Chairperson
Cr Daniel Fusi (C Ward)Elected unanimously as Deputy Chair by the councillors at the first meeting under the new model, 4 December 2025. He was declared elected for C Ward uncontested at the 20 September 2025 election.
Councillors
6 total — 3 elected (one per ward) and 3 appointed by the Minister for Local GovernmentWards A, B and C each elect one councillor. The appointed councillors are Cr Robert (Bob) Stewart, Cr Barbara Perry and Cr Fiona Kelly.
How the Chairperson is chosen
Appointed by the Minister for Local GovernmentNot popularly elected, and not elected by the councillors — unlike a Mayor in most NSW councils. The Deputy Chairperson is elected by the councillors.
Governance status
Out of administration since 4 December 2025The Minister for Local Government's media release of 18 June 2025 states the council had been under administration since 2013 and was at that time the only local government area in NSW without an elected council. The Rural and Remote Council model was described by the Minister as made possible by legislation passed in 2024.
About the appointed councillors
Council publishes a short profile for eachThe council's profile page for Cr Barbara Perry records that she spent more than 13 years in the NSW Parliament as the Member for Auburn and held several ministerial portfolios, including Local Government, Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. The council's pages for Cr Fiona Kelly and the elected councillors carry contact details only.
Council meetings
Rotate around the shire2026 ordinary meetings: 17 February (Menindee), 21 April (Wilcannia), 21 May (Wilcannia), 23 June (Wilcannia), 18 August (Tilpa), 17 November (Sunset Strip), all at 10.30am. Residents can register to speak at a public forum.

Your representatives

Want to raise something? Contacting your ward councillor or the mayor is one of the most direct ways to be heard between elections.

We list who is in office and link to their official profiles and the election results; we don't characterise anyone's politics. Party labels are normally those each councillor was elected under (NSW Electoral Commission) — here the NSWEC's published first-preference reports show no party or group code beside Peter Sullivan or Max Bradley, and Daniel Fusi was declared elected uncontested, so affiliation is left blank rather than guessed. The three appointed councillors did not stand at an election, so no election party label applies to them. We report the council's governance arrangements as a published fact and take no position on how they came about. Appointments and casual vacancies can change the makeup, so the council's official page has the most current list.

Sources — check it yourself

Figures are current as at the dates shown and may change — always confirm with the linked source. See the notice at the bottom of the page for full details and how to report a correction.