Central Darling Shire tests ‘hybrid’ remote area model

Members of the newly constituted Central Darling Shire Council – l-r: Chairman Bob Stewart, Councillor Fiona Kelly, Councillor Peter Sullivan, Councillor Barbara Perry, Deputy Chairman Daniel Fusi, Councillor Max Bradley. Photo: supplied

Story by Tricia Duffield and Ian Cole

Central Darling Shire, which had been under administration for over a decade, has a new council structure which could be a test case for remote councils in the future.

The Council had been in administration for 12 years from 2013 until it was officially reinstated with a mix of elected and appointed councillors in December 2025.

Chairman, Councillor and the former administrator of Central Darling is the highly experienced Bob Stewart, who hopes the new ‘remote area’ structure of the council will deliver security to the community for the next decade.

The structure of the Council is a hybrid of three elected councillors from the three local government wards, and three councillors appointed by the Minister for Local Government, including Mr Stewart’s appointment as Chairman. […]

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