NSW · Central Tablelands · Local council, made simple
Oberon Council
A high-country Central Tablelands council south-west of Bathurst — about 5,600 people spread across 3,625 km² of plantation forest, grazing land and potato country, from Oberon town itself out to Black Springs, Burraga, O'Connell, Edith and Hazelgrove, with the Jenolan Caves on its eastern edge. Softwood forestry and timber processing anchor the local economy alongside grazing, vegetables and a growing tourism trade. The council runs the local services you use every week — waste, water and sewer, roads, parks, the library, development — 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 rise, how it compares across NSW, and why bills differ.
2026–27 rate peg: 3.3%
Open →Budget & financesHow financially healthy the council is, measured against official benchmarks.
5 of 9 OLG benchmarks met (2023–24)
Open →Crime & safetyOberon's recorded crime rates, side by side with the NSW average.
12 of 12 major offences below the NSW rate
Open →Mayor & councillorsWho represents you — and where to read their official profiles.
Mayor: Andrew McKibbin (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) 6329 8100
Open →Area profileThe basics: how many people live here, how big the area is.
Population: ~5,604 (2023–24)
Open →What's happening
6 updatesAuto-collected from Oberon Council's public channels and drafted in plain language (pending review).
- Policy
Draft Oberon Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP)
Draft Oberon Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP)
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
- Policy
Policy Review - Council Roads Policy 4110
Policy Review - Council Roads Policy 4110
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
- Policy
New Policy - Artificial Intelligence Policy 2143
New Policy - Artificial Intelligence Policy 2143
What this means for you: Open the source to see the details and any deadline to respond.
- Event
Community information session on the Great Western Highway Victoria Pass closure
Transport for NSW and the NSW Reconstruction Authority visited Oberon in early July 2026 to brief residents on the closure of the Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass and to answer questions directly. Council has separately opened Expressions of Interest for a Great Western Highway Tourism Activation Fund, inviting local event organisers, community groups and businesses to apply for funding for tourism events during the disruption.
What this means for you: The Victoria Pass closure changes how people drive between Oberon and Sydney and affects local tourism traffic. Detour information comes from Transport for NSW; Council's role here is community liaison and the tourism activation funding.
Source: Oberon Council — Community Information Session, Victoria Pass Closure
- Waste
Council adopts its first ten-year Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy
Oberon Council adopted a Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2026–2036 at its March 2026 Ordinary Council Meeting, following two community and business surveys during 2025. The strategy documents Oberon's current services — a weekly red-lid bin inside the Oberon town limits only, drop-off recycling at the Oberon Waste Depot, and no kerbside recycling or FOGO service — and sets a ten-year action plan.
What this means for you: Nothing changes at the kerb immediately. The strategy is the document to watch if you want to know when kerbside recycling or a green FOGO bin might arrive: NSW has mandated a household FOGO service for every property that receives a red-lid collection by 1 July 2030, and Council's action plan sets out the steps it intends to take first, including a composition audit of what is in the red bin today.
Source: Oberon Council — Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2026–2036
- Election
Casual vacancy on Council filled by countback election
Cr Michael Crye relinquished his position on Oberon Council on 25 March 2025. Because Council resolved at its October 2024 Ordinary Meeting to fill casual vacancies by countback rather than a by-election, the NSW Electoral Commission ran a countback of the 2024 ballot papers: candidate applications opened 22 April 2025 and closed 2 May 2025, eligible candidates were declared on 5 May and the election day and declaration of results were on 7 May 2025.
What this means for you: No public poll was held and no ratepayer money was spent on a by-election. Cr Robert Lee now holds the seat; the current list of councillors is on Council's Elected officials page.
Email alerts aren't switched on yet
We haven't started sending email, so we're not taking addresses for now. New items from Oberon Councilshow up under “What's happening” above as we find them, each linked to its official source.