area from to due to the 2015 review of local government boundaries when former parts of The Hills Shire were transferred to the City of Parramatta Council. Total population growth of Australia for the period between the 2011 and 2016 census periods was 8.8 per cent. The median weekly income for residents within The Hills Shire was approximately 150% higher than the national average. At the 2016 census, the proportion of residents in The Hills local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon approached 32 per cent of all residents. In excess of 64 per cent of all residents in The Hills Shire nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2016 census, which was in excess of the national average of 57.7 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in The Hills local government area had a higher than average proportion (37.2 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 22.2 per cent); and a lower proportion (65.3 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 72.7 per cent). Current Council composition and election method The Hills Shire Council is composed of twelve Councillors elected proportionally as four separate wards, each electing three Councillors. All Councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. A referendum held on 1 September 2015 changed the system of electing the Mayor, from annual election by the councillors in favour of direct election of the Mayor by electors for a four-year term, which took effect from the September 2017 election. The most recent election was held on 15 Octobers 2021, and the makeup of the Council is as follows: The current Council, elected in 2017, in order of election by ward, is: History The earliest records of human settlement date back to the early 1800s when Dharug Aborigines inhabited the region. Governor Arthur Phillip is said to be the first European to have visited the Hills in 1788. The Hills Shire started developing gradually with its new road systems and farming as more Europeans settled here. The first school started in 1840 followed by a general store and a post office. In 1902, the tram from Parramatta to Baulkham Hills was inaugurated and telephone links were established by 1907. The population rose steadily over the years along with infrastructure development of the Hills Shire.