19-530: The City of Stirling is a local government area in the northern suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth about 10 kilometres (6 mi) north of Perth's central business district . The City covers an area of 105.2 square kilometres (40.6 sq mi) and has a population of over 223,000, making it the largest local government area by population in Western Australia. Stirling
38-897: A four-year term, and half-elections are held every two years. The mayor is elected from among the councillors. The suburbs of the City of Stirling with population and size figures based on the most recent Australian census : The City of Stirling holds 6 libraries. They are the: As of 2024, 641 places are heritage-listed in the City of Stirling, of which 20 are on the State Register of Heritage Places . 31°52′59″S 115°48′36″E / 31.883°S 115.810°E / -31.883; 115.810 Local government areas of Western Australia There are 137 local government areas (LGAs) in Western Australia , which comprise 27 cities, 102 shires, and 8 towns that manage their own affairs to
57-443: A significant reduction in the number of decisions requiring ministerial approval which allowed for streamlined decision-making and greater local government autonomy. Although successive state governments have periodically promoted municipal amalgamation, only a small number of local governments have merged over the course of Western Australia's history. Historically most local governments have strongly resisted forced amalgamations and
76-523: A tax on private allotments to fund the construction and maintenance of "roads, paths and plantations". As the Colony began to develop, the first form of local government was established in some areas under the Towns Improvement Act of 1838. These trusts were empowered to elect ratepayers as Trustees and assess and collect a property tax for the construction of roads. Many of these town trusts, including
95-740: The Indian Ocean Territories Administration of Laws Act , which allows the Western Australian Local Government Act to apply "on-island" as though it were a Commonwealth act. Nonetheless, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are not parts of Western Australia. The most recent local government elections were held in 2023 . Land was originally granted in the Swan River Colony under regulations which allowed for land commissioners to assess
114-558: The Greater Perth Movement around this time led to the amalgamation of inner city local governments to create a greatly expanded City of Perth until 1993, when the City was broken up once again. The first local government department was established by the state in 1949 to guide local government authorities. Following the war local governments increasingly expanded their services from property, health and local infrastructure (roads, drainage) to community and social services. This
133-505: The Perth Town Trust , experienced severe administrative and financial difficulties, and in some cases barely functioned at all. The Guildford Town Trust lasted only a couple of years before ceasing to function until it was reconstituted in 1863. The District Roads Act and Municipal Institutions Act , both of 1871 improved matters by allowing for the establishment of Roads Boards and Municipal Corporations. Municipal Corporations had
152-601: The Shire of Cocos (Keeling) Islands are also included for comparison purposes. Federal external territory. Currently, Western Australia has ten regional councils. Each regional council comprises two or more local government areas (LGAs). Local Government Act 1995 The Local Government Act 1995 is an act of the Parliament of Western Australia which lays down the responsibilities, powers, and procedures for election of local government bodies . It replaced and amended
171-464: The Noongar tribe down there for blocking expansion of the colony. He told everyone what he was going to do, went down there, did it and reported on it." The motion made national news, and sparked a barrage of hateful messages towards the City of Stirling. Among suggestions was for a dual name to be adopted, involving a Noongar name. A report released by the city two weeks later stated that the name change
190-627: The capacity to levy property taxes, pass municipal by-laws and undertake various local regulatory services previously carried out by colonial officials and other central bodies. Corporations could also establish civic institutions and facilities with the governors' consent, including libraries and botanical gardens. Road Boards where strictly limited to the construction of roads, could not levy property taxes and depended on colonial government grants for any expenditures. Women were permitted to be elected to Road Boards from 1911 and to Municipal Corporations from 1919. The influence of town clerk W.E. Bold and
209-585: The extent permitted by the Local Government Act 1995 . The Local Government Act 1995 also makes provision for regional local governments (referred to as "regional councils", established by two or more local governments for a particular purpose. There are three classifications of local government in Western Australia: The Shire of Christmas Island and the Shire of Cocos (Keeling) Islands are federal external territories and covered by
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#1732859236320228-454: The name were carried. The meeting was attended by over 100 people, an unusually high number. Shortly afterwards, Western Australian senators called for a broader review of Western Australian "place names, such as Stirling Range , linked to colonial figures with known racist histories ... such as William Dampier , John Forrest and John Septimus Roe ." The city has been divided into seven wards, each of two councillors. Each councillor serves
247-455: The present day. In the 1970s, the scope of local government services expanded to encompass the provision of nursing homes and other forms of aged care. During the late 1980s, and early 1990s a bi-partisan reform process led to the Local Government Act 1995 , which amongst other changes, established for the first time a clear separation of responsibility between elected councillors and local government administration. Other key changes included
266-764: The total number of authorities has declined only marginally over the last century. The most recent state government led effort to encourage the voluntary amalgamation of 30 metropolitan local governments into 16 was abandoned by the Barnett government in 2014. In 2017, the McGowan government initiated a review process to reform the Local Government Act 1995. The 30 metropolitan local government areas (LGAs) comprise 20 cities, 3 shires, and 7 towns. The 107 non-metropolitan local government areas (LGAs) comprise 7 cities, 99 shires, and 1 town . The Shire of Christmas Island and
285-555: The well-conceived ambush and subsequent massacre of 15 to 80 Binjareb Noongar men, women, and children lasting at least one hour that Stirling led personally, Stirling threatened the Noongar people with genocide should they continue to resist colonisation. Historian Chris Owen has argued that James Stirling's involvement in the Pinjarra massacre was on the historical record, and "there's no ambiguity in it any more, Stirling set out to punish
304-537: Was declared a city and renamed Stirling on 24 January 1971. At a meeting of electors in May 2021, electors passed a motion that the City of Stirling be renamed, causing it to be considered at the next council meeting. The rationale for the name change is the personal involvement of James Stirling , the first governor of Western Australia and the namesake of the city, in the Pinjarra Massacre on 28 October 1834. Following
323-653: Was established on 24 January 1871 as the Perth Road District under the District Roads Act 1871 . The district at that time included what are now the Cities of Wanneroo , Joondalup , Bayswater and Belmont . With the passage of the Local Government Act 1960 , which reformed all road districts into shires, it became the Shire of Perth on 1 July 1961. The Shire of Perth had a population of 84,000 in 1961. It
342-400: Was not a priority, and that there were significant costs associated with any name change. At the council meeting on 8 June 2021, arguments were put forth either way, with one councillor saying "while nobody condoned historical atrocities, a name change would cost 'millions of dollars', would set a dangerous precedent and should be 'nipped in the bud ' ", but no motions regarding changing
361-414: Was termed the “New Order” at the time, and encompassed the development of community centres, infant health clinics and sporting facilities. Only a few cities – Fremantle , Nedlands , Perth , South Perth , and Subiaco – existed prior to 1961. On 1 July 1961, all road districts became shires, and all municipalities became towns or cities. This structure has continued till
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