52-544: Hervey Range Developmental Road (alternate spellings: "Herveys", "Hervey's") is a continuous 125-kilometre (78 mi) road route in the Townsville and Charters Towers local government areas of Queensland , Australia. It is designated as State Route 72. It is a state-controlled regional road (number 83A). The road commences as Hervey Range Road (State Route 72) at an intersection with Garbutt–Upper Ross Road (Thuringowa Drive / Riverway Drive) and Ross River Road (see below), on
104-577: A unitary authority , but the Australian Bureau of Statistics refers to the whole of the ACT as an unincorporated area. The ACT Government directorate Transport Canberra & City Services handles responsibilities that are under the purview of local government in other parts of Australia, such as local road maintenance, libraries and waste collection. Many Canberra districts have community organisations called "community councils", but these are not part of
156-586: A geographic or historical interpretation. The council board members are generally known as councillors , and the head councillor is called the mayor . As of August 2016, there were 547 local councils in Australia. Despite the single tier of local governance in Australia, there are a number of extensive regions with relatively low populations that are not a part of any established LGA. Powers of local governments in these unincorporated areas may be exercised by special-purpose governing bodies established outside of
208-535: A larger workload. The growth of the Regional Organisations of Councils has also been a factor in local government reform in Australia. In 1995, there were 50 such agreements across the country. A 2002 study identified 55 ROCs with the largest involving 18 councils. Local government powers are determined by state governments, and states have primary responsibility for funding and exclusive responsibility for supervision of local councils. Local government
260-559: A mid-point of Kirwan and Thuringowa Central . State Route 72 continues east on Ross River Road. The road proceeds west through Thuringowa Central, passing between Kirwan and Condon , and crossing the Bohle River as it enters Bohle Plains . Here it runs under the Bruce Highway at an incomplete diamond interchange . From the start to this point the road has a four-lane divided carriageway, which reverts to two lanes undivided just west of
312-451: A mobile library service, serving the following suburbs on a regular schedule: 19°15′27.50″S 146°49′04.45″E / 19.2576389°S 146.8179028°E / -19.2576389; 146.8179028 Local government in Australia [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Local government is the third level of government in Australia , administered with limited autonomy under
364-403: A shift from 'services to property' towards 'services to people'. Community expectations of local government in Australia have risen in the 21st century partly as a result of wider participation in decision-making and transparent management practices. Recent years have seen some State governments devolving additional powers onto LGAs. In Queensland and Western Australia LGAs have been granted
416-553: Is a state-controlled district road (number 612). It starts at an intersection with Townsville Connection Road (Bowen Road / Charters Towers Road) (State Route 17) in Mundingburra . It runs west as State Route 72, crossing Douglas-Garbutt Road (Nathan Street), for 8.1 kilometres (5.0 mi) to Kirwan , where it ends at an intersection with Garbutt–Upper Ross Road (Thuringowa Drive / Riverway Drive), while State Route 72 continues west on Hervey Range Road. The road's only major intersection
468-512: Is greater than 15%. The highest point on the road is 421 metres (1,381 ft) and the lowest is 15.2 metres (50 ft). The road is fully sealed. For communities along the Gulf Developmental Road , this road is part of the shortest route to east coast centres from Townsville to Mackay . A project to widen more than 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) of this road, at a cost of $ 8.9 million, was to be completed late in 2021. Ross River Road
520-517: Is mentioned in the annotated Australian constitution, as a department of the State Governments, and they are mentioned in the constitutions of each of the six states. Under the Constitution, the federal government cannot provide funding directly to local governments; a 1974 referendum sought to amend the Constitution to authorise the federal government to directly fund local governments, but it
572-447: Is part of a local government area. Unincorporated areas are often in remote locations, cover vast areas, or have very small populations. Queensland and Tasmania are entirely partitioned into LGAs and have no unincorporated areas. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has no municipalities. The ACT government is responsible for both state-level and local-level matters. In some countries, such an arrangement would be referred to as
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#1733085231866624-504: Is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state/territory it belongs to. The functions and practices of local councils are mostly centered around managing public services and land uses at the community level, and are similar throughout Australia, but can vary to some degree between jurisdictions. State departments oversee the activities of local councils and may intervene in their affairs when needed, subject to relevant legislation. For more details in each state and territory, see
676-631: Is the City of Brisbane , the most populous LGA in the country, which administers a significant part of the Brisbane metropolitan area . In most cases, when a city's population statistics are used, it is the statistical division population rather than the local government area. The following table provides a summary of local government areas by states and territories by local government area types as of December 2023: The Australian Classification of Local Governments (ACLG) categorises local governing authorities using
728-534: Is with Douglas–Garbutt Road. The original Hervey Range Road, now known as Page Road, was a steep and difficult track. It was constructed in 1865, and was then the only way to travel from Townsville to the west. Gold was discovered in Charters Towers in 1871. In the period 1872 to 1899 the population grew to about 25,000. The railway opened in 1882, effectively replacing a two-day coach ride from Townsville for new arrivals. The current Hervey's Range Road (as it
780-461: The 2016 election , Team Jenny Hill defeated defeated Jayne Arlett's Team in a landslide victory, picking up every single ward, along with retaining the mayoralty. The current council, elected in 2024 , is: The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008. The 2011 census was the first for the new City. The Townsville City Council operates libraries at Aitkenvale , Townsville City and Thuringowa Central . It also operates
832-457: The City of Thuringowa were amalgamated in 2008. The process of amalgamation was completed on the election of a new combined council on 15 March 2008. Other notable aldermen include: Townsville City Council services the LGA. The council is represented by 10 councillors and the mayor, who have been elected by the whole city. The current mayor is Jenny Hill , who was formerly the deputy mayor of
884-586: The Local Authorities Act 1902 , the ancestor of the current Local Government Act 1993 . The borders of the Townsville municipality were expanded to keep pace with urban growth in 1882, 1918, 1936, 1958 and 1964 – the purpose of expanding the borders was to keep urban and rural administrations separate. This state government convention changed under the Bjelke-Petersen government and the borders between
936-639: The Local Government Act does not mandate adopting a designation, some local government areas are legally known simply as "council", such as Port Macquarie-Hastings Council , Inner West Council and Federation Council . Some rural areas in South Australia are known as "district council", and all the LGAs in Tasmania that were previously municipalities have been renamed "council". Almost all local councils have
988-703: The Pastoral Unincorporated Area in South Australia . Local governments are subdivisions of the six federated states as well as the Northern Territory . The Australian Capital Territory has no separate local government, and municipal functions in Canberra and the surrounding regions (normally performed by local governments in other states) are performed by the ACT territorial government. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), however, considers
1040-759: The Top End region, the Northern Territory Rates Act Area and Darwin Waterfront Precinct within Darwin , Nhulunbuy on the Gove Peninsula , Alyangula on Groote Eylandt , and Yulara in Central Australia . In South Australia , 63% of the state's area is unincorporated. Residents in this area – less than 0.2% of the state's population – receive municipal services provided by a state agency,
1092-645: The United States , there is only one tier of local government in each Australian state/territory, with no distinction between counties and cities . The Australian local government is generally run by a council , and its territory of public administration is referred to generically by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as the local government area or LGA , each of which encompasses multiple suburbs or localities (roughly equivalent to neighborhoods) often of different postcodes ; however, stylised terms such as "city", " borough ", " region " and " shire " also have
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#17330852318661144-527: The states and territories , and in turn beneath the federal government . Local government is not mentioned in the Constitution of Australia , and two referendums in 1974 and 1988 to alter the Constitution relating to local government were unsuccessful. Every state/territory government recognises local government in its own respective constitution . Unlike the two-tier local government system in Canada or
1196-578: The Black River as it approaches the ascent of the Hervey Range . At the peak of the range, following a circuitous climb, it passes through the southern tip of Lynam , enters the Charters Towers Region and then continues to the south-east, still in the locality of Hervey Range. On entering the locality of Dotswood the road turns to the west. It continues west, passing the exit to Dotswood Road to
1248-603: The Bruce Highway. Continuing west the road passes between Rangewood and Alice River , and then crosses the Alice River, a tributary of the Black River , and follows the boundary between the localities of Hervey Range and Black River . After crossing Scrubby Creek and Canal Creek, passing the exit to Black River Road to the north-east, entering Hervey Range, and crossing Log Creek, the road turns south-east. It runs parallel to
1300-644: The Townsville City Council, becoming the first member of the Communist Party to win such an office in Australia. He was then re-elected in 1943. The same year, he stood for the federal seat of Herbert , but was narrowly defeated. He then contested and won the Bowen seat in the Queensland Parliament , holding it from 1944 until 1950. From 1942 to 1949, the council was held by a majority of members of
1352-595: The councillor positions. Incumbent mayor Tony Mooney was among the ALP members defeated. After one term, mayor Les Tyrell chose to retire from politics and did not recontest his position. At the 2012 election , councillor Dale Last ran for mayor and formed the Townsville First group, which ran candidates − including six Team Tyrell councillors − in all wards. Jenny Hill , the only sitting Labor member on council, formed Team Jenny Hill and successfully ran for mayor. At
1404-450: The entire ACT as an " unincorporated " local government area, even though it is technically a state-level administrative region . Although all essentially identical in functions and jurisdictions, Australian local governments have a variety of different titles. The term "local government area" (LGA) is used by the ABS to collectively refer to all local government administrative zones regardless of
1456-504: The first half of the 20th century was the provision of physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges and sewerage. From the 1970s the emphasis changed to community facilities such as libraries and parks, maintenance of local roads, town planning and development approvals, and local services such as waste disposal. Child care, tourism and urban renewal were also beginning to be part of local governments' role. These are financed by collection of local land taxes known as "rates", and grants from
1508-448: The first time. Significant reforms took place in the 1980s and 1990s in which state governments used metrics and efficiency analysis developed within the private sector in the local government arena. Each state conducted an inquiry into the benefits of council amalgamations during the 1990s. In the early 1990s, Victoria saw the number of local councils reduced from 210 to 78. South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland saw some reductions in
1560-415: The following: The Australian Capital Territory is not divided into local government areas, so it is regarded as a single "unincorporated" local government area during censusing . Unlike many other countries, Australia has only one level of local government immediately beneath state and territorial governments. Aside from very sparsely populated areas and a few other special cases, almost all of Australia
1612-496: The government (though they generally receive government funding). They do not have the power to change laws or policies, and their role is limited to advising government. They are effectively residents' associations . New South Wales has three unincorporated areas: In the Northern Territory , 1.47% of the total area and 3.0% of the population are in unincorporated areas. These include the Cox-Daly and Marrakai-Douglas Daly areas in
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1664-608: The local legislation, as with Victoria 's alpine resorts ; or directly administered by state/territory governments, such as the entirety of the Australian Capital Territory . The administrative area covered by local government councils in Australia ranges from as small as 1.5 km (0.58 sq mi) for the Shire of Peppermint Grove in the Perth metropolitan region , to as big as 624,339 km (241,059 sq mi) for
1716-540: The mayor is elected by the board of fellow councillors . The powers of mayors vary as well; for example, mayors in Queensland have broad executive functions, whereas mayors in New South Wales are essentially ceremonial figureheads who can only exercise power at the discretion of the council. Most of the capital city LGAs administer only the central business districts and nearby central suburbs . A notable exception
1768-618: The names of LGAs, and today the stylised titles of " town ", " borough ", " municipality ", " district ", " region ", "community government", " Aboriginal council/shire" and "island" are used in addition. The word "municipality" occurs in some states with differing meanings: in New South Wales it is typically used for older urban areas, and the word is used for some rural towns in South Australia . Larger towns and small metropolitan exurban centres in Queensland and Western Australia simply use
1820-532: The north are Northern Beaches and Paluma , and also included is Magnetic Island . In June 2018 the area had a population of 194,072, and is the 28th-largest LGA in Australia. Townsville is considered to be the unofficial capital of North Queensland . In the 2021 census , the City of Townsville had a population of 192,768 people. Prior to 2008, the new City of Townsville was an entire area of two previous and distinct local government areas: The City of Townsville
1872-649: The number of local governments while Western Australia and New South Wales rejected compulsory mergers. New South Wales eventually forced the merging of some councils. The main purpose of amalgamating councils was for greater efficiency and to improve operations, but forced amalgamation of councils is sometimes seen as a dilution of representative democracy . An increase in the range of services offered by councils, but only minor cost savings of less than 10% have been noted by academics as outcomes after mergers. The council mergers have resulted in widespread job losses and lingering resentment from some whose roles have experienced
1924-597: The part of local governments. There is no mention of local government in the Constitution of Australia , though it is mentioned several times in the Annotated Constitution of Australia. "Municipal institutions and local government" appears in Annotation 447, and "Power of the Parliament of a Colony" appears under "Residuary Legislative Powers" on pages 935 and 936. The first official local government in Australia
1976-812: The population, the population density and the proportion of the population that is classified as being urban for the council. The classification, at the two-digit level, is: All local governments are approximately equal in their theoretical powers, although LGAs that encompass large cities such as Brisbane and the Gold Coast command more resources due to their larger population base. Unlike local governments in many other countries, services such as police, fire protection and schools are provided by respective state or territory governments rather than by local councils. However, local governments still maintain some responsibility for fire service functions within Queensland and Western Australia. The councils' chief responsibility in
2028-414: The power to independently enact their own local subsidiary legislation , in contrast to the previous system of by-laws . Councils also have organised their own representative structures such as Local Government Associations and Regional Organisations of Councils . Doctrines of New Public Management have shaped state government legislation towards increased freedoms aiming to allow greater flexibility on
2080-477: The pre-amalgamation City of Townsville in 2007 and early 2008. The council consists of one mayor, elected at large, and 10 councillors, elected from 10 individual divisions. In 2008 , the Australian Labor Party , which had controlled the council for 32 years − the longest-serving Labor administration in Australia − was defeated in a landslide by the conservative Team Tyrell , which won all but one of
2132-548: The pro-soviet Labor party split, the North Queensland Labor Party . A succession of endorsed Labor Party mayors and majority councillors held a continuous civic government from 1976–2008, this was the longest continuous Labor administration in the country until Tony Mooney was defeated in 2008. Following local government reform undertaken by the State Government of Queensland , the City of Townsville and
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2184-526: The purpose of raising money to build roads in rural and outer-urban regions. Council representatives attended conventions before Federation , however local government was unquestionably regarded as outside the Constitutional realm. In the 1970s, the Whitlam government expanded the level of funding to local governments in Australia beyond grants for road construction. General purpose grants become available for
2236-408: The same administrative functions and similar political structures, regardless of their naming, and retain a particular designation ("shire", "borough", "town", "city") for historical reasons only. They will typically have an elected council and usually a mayor or shire president responsible for chairing meetings of the council. In some councils, the mayor is a directly elected figure, but in most cases
2288-573: The south and crossing several creeks and the Star River before reaching the Burdekin River , which it crosses into the locality of Basalt . After turning south-west it reaches an intersection with the Gregory Highway , where it ends. About 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of this road has a gradient greater than 5%, of which 440 metres (1,440 ft) is between 10 and 15%, and 320 metres (1,050 ft)
2340-493: The state and Commonwealth governments. They are caricatured as being concerned only with the "three Rs": Rates, Roads and Rubbish. However, the roles of local government areas in Australia have recently expanded as higher levels of government have devolved activities to the third tier. Examples include the provision of community health services, regional airports and pollution control as well as community safety and accessible transport. The changes in services has been described as
2392-606: The term "town", while in Victoria they are designated as "rural city". Historically, the word "borough" was common for small towns and suburban centers in Victoria, but nowadays only the Borough of Queenscliffe remains as the one and only borough in the entire country. New South Wales and Queensland have also introduced a new term "region" for outback LGAs formed by the amalgamation of smaller shires and rural cities. In New South Wales, where
2444-490: The two local governments became static. By 1986 the Shire of Thuringowa had grown to a population of 27,000 and was declared a city. The City of Townsville was notable in Australia in the 1890s and early 1900s for its support for municipal socialism . The anarchist and socialist Alderman Ned Lowry advocated for the City of Townsville to control various industries. In 1939, Fred Paterson stood successfully as an alderman for
2496-501: The varying designations, whilst the local governing legislature itself is generally known as a council . In general, an urban / suburban LGA is called a " city ", as in the City of Melbourne , City of Canada Bay and City of Bunbury ; while an exurban / rural LGA covering a larger agricultural / natural area is usually called a " shire ", as in Shire of Mornington Peninsula , Shire of Banana and Lachlan Shire . Sometimes designations other than "city" or "shire" are used in
2548-539: Was defeated. A 1988 referendum sought to explicitly insert mention of local government in the federal constitution but this was comprehensively defeated. A further referendum was proposed in 2013 , but was cancelled due to the change in the election date . Federal government interaction with local councils happens regularly through the provision of federal grants to help fund local government managed projects. Local government in Australia has very limited legislative powers and no judicial powers , and executive -wise
2600-557: Was first established as the Borough of Townsville under the Municipal Institutions Act 1864 on 15 February 1866. The surrounding rural area, which was given the name Thuringowa Division , was established on 11 November 1879 as one of 74 divisions around Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879 . On 31 March 1903, Thuringowa Division became the Shire of Thuringowa and Townsville was granted city status under
2652-600: Was the Perth Town Trust , established in 1838, only three years after British settlement. The Adelaide Corporation followed, created by the province of South Australia in October 1840. The City of Melbourne and the Sydney Corporation followed, both in 1842. All of these early forms failed; it was not until the 1860s and 1870s that the various colonies established widespread stable forms of local government, mainly for
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#17330852318662704-505: Was then called) was opened in April, 1933. All distances are from Google Maps. City of Townsville The City of Townsville is a local government area (LGA) located in North Queensland , Australia. It encompasses the city of Townsville , together with the surrounding rural areas, to the south are the communities of Alligator Creek , Woodstock and Reid River, and to
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